Honor Among Thieves | True Crime & Crime Stories

Two months after leaving prison, Erwin says he was facing 15 new felony charges. In Episode 98 of Honor Among Thieves Podcast, he joins host Nelson Rodriguez Jr. to recount a life shaped by armed robberies, drug dealing, addiction, and repeated incarceration. From committing robberies at 15 to navigating Miami’s streets during the 1990s and 2000s, Erwin shares how his criminal activity escalated—and what it cost him.

Erwin discusses juvenile detention, Dade County Jail, Florida prison, and his years in Miami’s drug trade. He describes selling cocaine and ecstasy, becoming dependent on prescription painkillers, and eventually using heroin. As his addiction consumed his money, he returned to robbery, continuing a cycle of arrests, release, and reoffending. Along the way, he reflects on jailhouse violence, relationships, fatherhood, and the distance his choices created between him and his family.

The conversation also explores the turning point Erwin experienced while incarcerated: a fellow inmate introducing him to the Christian faith. He explains how Bible study and a personal spiritual awakening changed his outlook, discusses his involvement in prison ministry, and shares what redemption means to him today. This episode brings together a firsthand account of Miami crime, the consequences of addiction, and the difficult work of rebuilding a life after prison.

Subscribe to Honor Among Thieves Podcast for more true-crime interviews, federal prison stories, organized crime history, drug-trafficking cases, and raw conversations about consequences and redemption.

This episode is presented for documentary, journalistic, and educational purposes. It does not promote or glorify illegal drug use, drug trafficking, identity fraud, or other criminal activity.

Chapters

00:00 Intro

07:18 Armed Robberies at Just 15 Years Old

16:16 A High-Speed Chase and Arrest in Sweetwater

21:50 County Jail, Release and Repeat Arrests

28:30 Fatherhood, Relationships and Street Life

34:25 Violating Probation and Getting Married in Jail

40:16 Old Rivals and Fights Inside Jail

45:06 Eight Years in Miami’s Drug Trade

50:32 The Drug Trafficking Sentence

57:10 From Prescription Pills to H

1:03:56 The U-Haul That Led to His Arrest

1:11:20 His First Florida Prison Sentence

1:16:03 Facing 15 Felony Charges in Two Months

1:21:56 The Cellmate Who Introduced Him to Christianity

1:28:10 A Spiritual Awakening Inside Jail

1:32:37 Surviving a Stabbing and Learning to Forgive

1:37:40 Sentencing, Prison Life and Preparing for Release

1:43:44 Faith, Relationships and Setbacks After Prison

1:52:36 A Broward County Warrant and Another Arrest

1:59:01 What Redemption Means to Erwin

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Rebecca Castaneda, known as the Narco Attorney, joins Nelson Rodriguez Jr. on Honor Among Thieves Podcast to discuss the deals cartel defendants make with the federal government. A former federal prosecutor and U.S. Coast Guard attorney, Rebecca shares her perspective on drug trafficking investigations, sealed plea agreements, confidential cooperation, extradition, and federal sentencing. Drawing on experience from both sides of the courtroom, she explains how information becomes valuable—and why the public record may reveal only part of a criminal case.

Rebecca describes prosecuting cases involving approximately $2.3 billion worth of drugs before moving into criminal defense. She recounts winning an acquittal for a client who faced life imprisonment after spending four years in custody, in a trial featuring 34 government witnesses. She also shares stories from visiting clients in Colombian and Guatemalan prisons, including her account of expensive prison apartments, and discusses the challenges of representing defendants in international narcotics cases.

The conversation also covers El Mayo Zambada, El Chapo, and questions surrounding cartel cooperation, with Rebecca explaining general legal processes rather than claiming inside knowledge of El Mayo’s defense. Nelson and Rebecca discuss cocaine trafficking, narco submarines, changing smuggling routes, and why she believes the war on drugs has failed to stop the cocaine trade. Beyond the courtroom, she reflects on the families affected by extradition, lengthy prison sentences, and the possibility of redemption. Subscribe to Honor Among Thieves for more conversations about organized crime, prison, and life after the criminal justice system.

Subscribe to Honor Among Thieves Podcast for more true-crime interviews, federal prison stories, organized crime history, drug-trafficking cases, and raw conversations about consequences and redemption.

This episode is presented for documentary, journalistic, and educational purposes. It does not promote or glorify illegal drug use, drug trafficking, identity fraud, or other criminal activity.

Chapters

00:00 Rebecca Castaneda: Narco Attorney

06:13 Operation Panama Express & Coast Guard Drug Busts

13:03 Federal Drug Investigations & U.S. Jurisdiction

25:17 How Chain-of-Custody Errors Undermined a Drug Case

33:12 From Prosecuting $2.3 Billion in Drugs to Narco Defense

40:16 Guatemala’s Luxury Prison Apartments & Extradition

49:43 Colombian Cartels, Mexico & Guatemala’s Role

54:44 El Mayo Zambada & Questions About Cooperation

1:03:47 Why Prosecutors Compare Drug Defendants to El Chapo

1:10:17 Fentanyl Crackdowns & the Cocaine Market

1:15:04 Narco Submarines & the Economics of Cocaine

1:21:38 Fishermen, Pilots & Girlfriends: Sources of Cartel Intel

1:27:04 Rebecca’s View of the Drug War & U.S. Power

1:30:33 Cuba, Puerto Rico & Caribbean Drug Routes

1:36:31 Telling a Child Her Father Was Extradited

1:43:08 Connect With Rebecca Castaneda & Closing Thoughts

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Alex Montanez returns to the Honor Among Thieves Podcast for Part 2, sharing his story of cocaine dealing, two years on the run, and five years in Florida state prison. Joining host Nelson Rodriguez Jr., Alex discusses his family’s connections to the Medellín cartel, Rafa Salazar, and Jorge Ochoa—and how his own involvement in the drug trade led to betrayal, arrest, and incarceration.

Alex recounts how his right-hand man became an informant after an arrest involving a stolen Rolex, the close calls he experienced as a fugitive, and why he eventually surrendered. He describes hiding in an empty grave during his brother’s funeral, being bunkmates with Jorge “Rivi” Ayala, and the prison fight that delayed his release before his father’s death. Throughout the conversation, Alex reflects on the consequences of pride, addiction, and the choices he made.

The episode also explores Alex’s return to dealing after prison, his work in music production, and his friendships with artists including Nicky Jam and Pitbull. He discusses more than a decade of sobriety, fatherhood, and his business ventures, including On the Run Vegan. Subscribe to Honor Among Thieves for firsthand conversations about organized crime, prison, and rebuilding life after incarceration.

Subscribe to Honor Among Thieves Podcast for more true-crime interviews, federal prison stories, organized crime history, drug-trafficking cases, and raw conversations about consequences and redemption.

This episode is presented for documentary, journalistic, and educational purposes. It does not promote or glorify illegal drug use, drug trafficking, identity fraud, or other criminal activity.

Chapters

00:00 Intro

02:39 Alex on Pablo Escobar, Carlos Lehder & Popeye

11:42 Cuba, Castro & Drug-Smuggling Allegations

17:33 Meeting John Gotti & New York Mafia Stories

24:07 His Father’s Warning About Drugs & Prison

30:38 The FBI Raid on His Birthday

37:32 Selling Cocaine at 17 & Following His Father

46:43 Escaping a Manhunt in the Bronx

55:19 The Stolen Rolex & His Right-Hand Man’s Betrayal

1:01:51 Prison With Jorge “Rivi” Ayala

1:05:29 The Prison Fight That Delayed His Release

1:11:01 Returning to Drug Dealing After Prison

1:17:54 Pitbull, Miami Hip-Hop & Celebrity Friendships

1:20:41 On the Run Vegan, Billionaire Water & Redemption

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Marcos Santibanez joins Nelson Rodriguez Jr. on Honor Among Thieves Podcast to recount building Miami’s Cuban Cartel and supplying major drug dealers through his Colombian connections. From growing up in Hialeah to cocaine deals in New York and Puerto Rico, Marcos shares his account of rising through Miami’s underworld and building a distribution network that moved hundreds of kilos.In this true crime interview, Marcos describes a 500-kilo cocaine shipment, the money laundering he says financed businesses and construction projects, and the luxury lifestyle that came with the drug trade. He also recounts friends getting arrested, his growing paranoia, and an unexpected turn: after handling enormous quantities of cocaine, he was arrested in Oklahoma over just seven grams.The conversation also explores the personal consequences behind the money: losing family, his mother’s pleas to quit, and returning to dealing after attempting to walk away. Marcos reflects on addiction, loyalty, faith, and the difficulty of leaving a life built around cocaine and fast money.
Subscribe to Honor Among Thieves Podcast for more true-crime interviews, federal prison stories, organized crime history, drug-trafficking cases, and raw conversations about consequences and redemption.

This episode is presented for documentary, journalistic, and educational purposes. It does not promote or glorify illegal drug use, drug trafficking, identity fraud, or other criminal activity.

Chapters
00:00 Marcos Santibanez: Inside Miami’s Cuban Cartel04:10 Growing Up in Cuba, Hialeah, and Carol City12:51 New York Drug Deals and 13 Kilos of H22:58 Cocaine Connections in Puerto Rico37:44 Building the Cuban Cartel in Miami43:31 Drug Money, Luxury Living, and a $12,000 Parrot47:54 Five Colombian Suppliers and a Growing Drug Network55:52 Moving Money Through a Miami Beauty Salon1:07:15 Cocaine Use, Paranoia, and Life as a Drug Dealer1:17:44 Supplying Drug Dealers in St. Petersburg and Atlanta1:29:26 Money, Power, and Miami Nightlife1:38:08 Laundering Drug Money Through Construction1:49:02 Living in Oklahoma While Still Dealing in Miami1:54:14 The Cocaine Package That Led to His Arrest2:01:53 Arrested for Seven Grams: Jail and Release on Bond2:12:37 Returning to Cocaine Dealing After Jail2:25:57 The IRS, Business Partners, and Losing His Money2:35:42 Informants Inside Miami Nightclubs2:42:03 A Police Search Finds a Hidden Car Compartment2:48:23 For This Reason: His Book and Redemption

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Former South Florida drug smuggler Ken Behr returns to Honor Among Thieves Podcast to explain how he became a DEA confidential informant. Facing up to 25 years in prison after a marijuana bust, Ken recounts his decision to cooperate and the two years he spent working undercover while trying to stay in his young daughter’s life.

In this Part 2 interview with Nelson Rodriguez Jr., Ken shares stories of recorded drug deals, paid informants, undercover sting operations and asset seizures. He describes a close call in Jamaica, a $100,000 payout he says he witnessed another informant receive, and his role in an investigation involving a proposed 10,000-kilo cocaine deal linked to Canadian organized crime.

The conversation also explores the pressure of a RICO case, the personal cost of becoming an informant, and the operations that still trouble Ken decades later. He reflects on receiving probation, raising his children and leaving drug trafficking behind in this firsthand true crime account of cooperation, consequences and second chances.

Subscribe to Honor Among Thieves Podcast for more true-crime interviews, federal prison stories, organized crime history, drug-trafficking cases, and raw conversations about consequences and redemption.

This episode is presented for documentary, journalistic, and educational purposes. It does not promote or glorify illegal drug use, drug trafficking, identity fraud, or other criminal activity.

Chapters

00:00 Ken Behr: Drug Smuggler Turned DEA Informant

05:01 The Marijuana Bust That Led to a RICO Case

09:22 How a One-Pound Bust Exposed a Smuggling Network

17:35 Facing 25 Years: Pressure to Become an Informant

27:52 Why Drug Smugglers End Up Broke

37:18 How Ken Was Recruited as a DEA Informant

41:12 Paid DEA Informants and a $100,000 Payout

44:03 Meeting His DEA Handler: Code Name Kilo Bravo

50:23 Inside Ken’s First DEA Drug Sting

1:01:32 Wearing a Wire for a West Palm Beach Drug Bust

1:11:12 The Recording Equipment Ken Used for the DEA

1:22:09 Undercover in Jamaica: Ken’s Emergency Extraction

1:31:10 The 200-Kilo Hashish Sting in Fort Lauderdale

1:36:21 The Personal Cost of Becoming a DEA Informant

1:43:05 Canadian Mob: The Proposed 10,000-Kilo Cocaine Deal

1:52:09 DEA Cooperation and the Pressure to Name Names

1:59:46 Ken Behr on the War on Drugs

2:05:23 Leaving Drug Smuggling Behind: Ken’s Lessons

2:09:32 Ken Behr’s Book, Podcast, Crime Nightly and Redemption

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🔗 Links

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https://www.instagram.com/montanatheprophet/

📸 Ken on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/kenbehr?igsh=YXM2cWVic3k2djVn

📸 Crime Nightly

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