A contemporary thriller set in the world of drug trafficking, Traffic is the new film from director Steven Soderbergh. The ensemble cast is headed by Michael Douglas, Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, Luis Guzmán, Dennis Quaid, and Catherine Zeta Jones. Traffic evokes the high stakes and high risks of the drug trade, as seen through a series of interrelated stories, some of which are highly personal and some of which are filled with intrigue and danger.
Mexican policeman Javier Rodriguez (Benicio Del Toro) works on and around the border, with his close friend and fellow policeman Manolo Sanchez (Jacob Vargas), under Mexico's number one crime fighter, General Salazar (Tomas Milian). Confronted with temptations of power and money, Javier resists them but finds himself, and Manolo, caught in a web of corruption that leads to an untenable situation.
Back in the U.S., Ohio State Supreme Court Justice Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas) is named by the president as the new antidrug czar. Collecting information, the uncompromising and conservative Wakefield prepares to supervise the country's task forces and partner them with Mexico's. But, at home, he and his wife Barbara (Amy Irving) must deal with their increasingly drug-addicted teenage daughter Caroline (Erika Christensen).
In San Diego, undercover DEA agents Montel Gordon (Don Cheadle) and Ray Castro (Luis Guzmán) work overtime to help the U.S. government build its case against the infamous Obregon drug cartel. Their bust of midlevel drug trafficker Eduardo Ruiz (Miguel Ferrer) pays off when their new prisoner cuts a deal to testify against wealthy drug baron Carlos Ayala (Steven Bauer), who lives in the upscale suburbs. Carlos is arrested, shocking his unknowing and pregnant wife Helena (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Helena and her son are quickly threatened by her husband's associates and tailed by the DEA agents. Enlisting the aid of attorney Arnie Metzger (Dennis Quaid), Helena vows to get Carlos out of jail and keep her children safe - even if it means taking over her husband's business.
