The film, like the 2008 Caracol TV series El Cartel, is based on the 2008 novel by the same name by Andrés López López, alias Florecita ("Little Flower"), a former drug dealer who, while in prison, wrote the fictionalized account of his experiences in the Cali Cartel and of what happened within the Norte del Valle Cartel.
Film tersebut, seperti serial Caracol TV 2008 El Cartel, berdasarkan novel 2008 yang nama yang sama karya Andrés López López, alias Florecita ("Bunga Kecil"), seorang mantan dealer narkoba yang, ketika di penjara, menulis catatan yang difiksionalisasikan dari pengalaman-pengalamannya di Kartel Cali dan apa yang terjadi di Kartel Norte del Valle.