Michael S. Vigil
SFWAF News:
Michael S. Vigil, born and raised in Española, New Mexico, earned his degree in criminal justice at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces where he graduated with Honors. He later joined the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and became one of its most highly decorated agents. Throughout his career, he served in thirteen foreign and domestic posts of duty and rose through the ranks to the highest levels of the Senior Executive Service becoming the Special Agent in Charge of the Caribbean and San Diego Divisions. One of his final posts was as the Chief of International Operations in charge of all DEA offices worldwide.
Mr. Vigil has received numerous awards during his elite career such as law enforcement’s most prestigious recognition: The National Association of Police Organization’s Top Cop award. This award is only given to ten law enforcement heroes each year from thousands of submissions worldwide.
Many foreign governments have honored Mr. Vigil for his extraordinary and courageous efforts in the violent struggle against transnational organized crime. He is the only American to be made an honorary general by the country of Afghanistan. China bestowed him with the “Key to the City of Shanghai.” The President of the Dominican Republic presented him with an Admiral’s sword at an International Drug Enforcement Conference. He is mentioned in over twenty-seven books and appears on worldwide documentaries, and popular television programs such as Gangsters: America’s Most Evil, The Rise and Fall of El Chapo, Manhunt: Kill or Capture, and NETFLIX’S Drug Lords.
He is frequently called upon as a contributor to CNN, MSNBC, NBC, ABC, CBS, Telemundo, Univision, Chinese Global Television, NPR, TRT, Al Jazeera, BBC, TV Azteca, El Financiero Bloomberg, NTN 24, Caracol Television, CNN Español, and dozens of internationally syndicated newspapers and radio stations. He is also a contributor to the highly regarded Cipher Brief.
His highly acclaimed memoir, DEAL, was released in 2014. Metal Coffins: The Blood Alliance Cartel, Narco Queen, Land of Enchantment Cartel, Afghan Warlord, The Rise of the Sicario, Claw of the Dragon, and Drug Capo are his seven fiction novels. Many of the scenarios, however, are derived from his extensive experience as an undercover agent.
He is the only American to have a corrido (ballad) composed and sung in his honor by Alberto Angel AKA El Cuervo, a famous recording artist and composer in Mexico.
Mr. Vigil was responsible for the largest and most successful operations in the DEA’s history. The most significant one involved thirty-six countries in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America.
After the fall of the Taliban in 2001, he designed and implemented “Operation Containment” consisting of twenty-five countries, including China and Russia. Prior to this initiative, only a few kilograms of heroin were seized in the region. During the first year of Operation Containment over twenty-four tons were seized in this same area. He also developed regional intelligence centers allowing foreign countries to exchange information on transnational organized crime. The centers are now operational globally. Mr. Vigil was one of the greatest intrepid and legendary undercover agents in the history of the DEA as he successfully infiltrated some of the most violent and dangerous cartels in the world.
Registration
This SFWAF lunch is $26 for members and $36 for nonmembers. To register you may either pay by check made out to SFWAF and mailed to the Santa Fe World Affairs Forum, PO Box 31965, Santa Fe, NM 87594 or by credit card through Paypal. Please indicate on your check – or if using Paypal (“add special instructions to the seller”) that your payment is for the Sept. 12, 2025, program: https://sfwaf.org/payment/
Members
If you have not yet paid your 2025-26 membership dues, you may include the $50 per person annual dues in your payment for this program, but please also note in special instructions that dues are included. Because we are a 501(c)(3) organization, dues and contributions are tax deductible in accordance with IRS regulations.
If you are not a member or plan to bring a guest who is not a member, please include your best contact information and your guest’s name. We use nametags. If you are interested in membership, please email us: sfwaforum@outlook.com.
Payment for this program is nonrefundable after Friday, Sept. 5. We strongly prefer that payment be made by Paypal or check postmarked before Sept. 5, 2025, to facilitate check-in and confirmation with the caterers. If you are mailing a check, please also email us at sfwaform@outlook.com to be sure we know you plan to attend.
Location
SFCC Board Room (#223) is in the West Wing (Administration Building). The college is located at 6401 Richards Avenue, Santa Fe, NM 87508. Enter through the building’s main entrance (on the left side of the building behind the flag poles). The Board Room is on the corridor to the left of the Campus Center.