When it comes to foreign concepts (subjects that aren't part of my day-to-day and dont have a personal understanding with), I think about the inspirations, media, and sources that inspired myself to write/think about them.

I ask broad questions of why am I writing about it. Realistically, how much do I know about it. Don't be shy or evasive about it. It can be as simple as "I like that movie..." and "It looks cool" etc.

The key goal is to dissect your perspective and target the gaps and maybe tropes you've unwittingly taken as truth. Tropes aren't necessary bad on their own, but they are audience-shorthand (I.e. stereotypes) rather than creative/interesting writing expressions.

Here you decide whether you just need shorthand (so do a little research to keep it accurate so it doesn't take the audience out) or want to explore the concept deeply and perhaps even subvert it - which can only be done by deepening your understanding of the foreign concept (more movies, articles, first person accounts etc). What core idea is most interesting to me and how do I respectfully write it.

Think about shows in one genre/setting (e.g. The Good Doctor, Scrubs, House M.D) Clearly each had done different levels of research and uses tropes for the different goals. TGD uses the general population's stereotypes of autism as shorthand to drive the protagonist's characterisation despite being inaccurate whereas Scrubs is painstakingly accurate despite it being a comedy to drive the real medical troubles they face.

I personally don't know how to write about the cartel but I know my exposure is limited (Fast Five, Sicario, Better Call Saul, friend's family anecdotes) so I'd go out of my way to read their history and why I'd want to write it.