into the Ayala home during his homecoming celebration. Bodyguards wrestle him to the ground, but Gordon is able to surreptitiously plant a listening bug under Ayala's desk. Gordon is forced from the property, smiling to himself, knowing that there is now a new opportunity to trap Ayala and Helena. Relationship to actual events Some aspects of the plotline are based on actual people and events: The character General Arturo Salazar is closely modeled after Mexican General Jesús Gutiérrez Rebollo, who was secretly on the payroll of Amado Carrillo Fuentes, head of the Juarez Cartel. The character Porfirio Madrigal is modeled after Fuentes. The Obregón brothers are modeled after the Tijuana Cartel's Arellano Félix brothers. At one point in the film, an El Paso Intelligence Center agent tells Robert his position, official in charge of drug control, doesn't exist in Mexico. As noted in the original script, a Director of the Instituto Nacional para el Combate a las Drogas was created by the Attorney General of Mexico in 1996. Cast Benicio del Toro as Javier Rodriguez Rodríguez, officer of the Mexican police and police partner of Manolo Sanchez Jacob Vargas as Manolo Sanchez, officer of the Mexican police and police partner of Javier Rodriguez Marisol Padilla Sánchez as Ana Sanchez, Manolo's wife Tomas Milian as General Arturo Salazar, a corrupt general of the Mexican Army who has ties with Porfirio Madrigal, head of the powerful Juarez Cartel Michael Douglas as Robert Wakefield, a powerful judge from Ohio and Caroline's father Amy Irving as Barbara Wakefield, Robert Wakefield's wife Erika Christensen as Caroline Wakefield, Robert Wakefield's daughter and an endangered drug user Topher Grace as Seth Abrahams, Caroline's drug using boyfriend D. W. Moffett as Jeff Sheridan James Brolin as General Ralph Landry, Robert's predecessor Albert Finney as White House Chief of Staff Steven Bauer as Carlos Ayala, a notorious and powerful drug lord from Mexico Catherine Zeta-Jones as Helena Ayala, Carlos Ayala's pregnant wife Dennis Quaid as Arnie Metzger, Carlos Ayala's crime partner Clifton Collins, Jr. as Francisco "Frankie Flowers" Flores, a sicario who works for the Obregón brothers, the heads of the powerful Tijuana Cartel Don Cheadle as Montel Gordon, DEA agent and Ray's fellow undercover partner Luis Guzmán as Ray Castro, DEA agent and Montel's fellow undercover partner Miguel Ferrer as Eduardo Ruiz, a drug dealer who works for Carlos Ayala Peter Riegert as Michael Adler Benjamin Bratt as