The Connect- with Johnny Mitchell

At just 18 years old, Jacob Diaz went from growing up in extreme poverty and foster care to helping manage a massive cocaine trafficking operation stretching from the Texas border to Florida.

In this episode, Jacob explains how he started as a driver and translator before eventually handling logistics, coordinating drivers, collecting money, managing stash houses, and helping oversee the U.S. side of an operation connected to the Beltrán Leyva organization.

At its peak, the network was moving dozens of kilos a week, with Jacob describing hundreds of kilos moving through individual customers and millions of dollars changing hands.

Jacob breaks down how the operation stayed under the radar, how cocaine moved across the country, what life was like around cartel figures in Mexico, and the mistake that eventually brought federal investigators to his door.

After being convicted on a federal cocaine conspiracy charge and serving more than seven years in prison, Jacob completely changed direction and built a legitimate business helping people repair their credit and access funding.

This is the story of how a teenager went from homelessness and foster care to the center of a multimillion-dollar cocaine operation—and how it all came crashing down.

Go Support Jacob!

Ig: https://www.instagram.com/mycreditbuilderpros/

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0:00 Intro: From Foster Care to Cartel Logistics

6:11 Growing Up in Extreme Poverty in Ocala

11:50 Foster Care, Family Separation & His Mom Disappearing

17:15 Learning to Let Go and Move Forward

20:03 This Episode Is Sponsored By Hims

21:48 Selling to Eat While Homeless

29:00 Selling Out of the Foster Home

34:32 Meeting the Man Who Became His Father Figure

41:54 Getting Involved In The Beltran-Leyva Organization

43:21 This Episode Is Sponsored By NordVPN

44:42 Becoming the U.S. Logistics Manager

47:17 Collecting Cash, Translating & Learning the Business

55:07 Border Routes, Checkpoints & Moving Product

1:00:57 The 70-Year-Old Cartel Mule

1:06:00 Moving 20 Kilos a Week Through Ocala

1:12:36 The Dream of Retiring in Spain

1:22:02 Cartel Security & Acapulco Nightlife

1:27:05 Living on a $30K-a-Month Party Budget

1:32:38 Why They Used One Distributor at a Time

1:38:02 How His Boss Got Back Across the Border

1:44:49 Flying Cash to Mexico

1:50:44 The 2011 Federal Investigation Begins

1:56:31 The Federal Case & Recorded Evidence

2:01:33 Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison

2:06:51 Building a Credit Business in Prison
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Former San Francisco undercover narcotics officer Britt Elmore exposes how the Tenderloin became one of America’s most notorious open-air drug markets — and how fentanyl, street dealers, weak prosecution, addiction, homelessness, and organized trafficking reshaped the city.

In this episode, Britt breaks down the San Francisco fentanyl crisis from the inside. After 25 years working narcotics, undercover buys, federal task force cases, wiretaps, gun deals, stolen car operations, cartel-linked investigations, and street-level drug markets, Britt explains how the fentanyl trade operates in the Bay Area and why San Francisco became a magnet for addiction, homelessness, and open-air drug dealing.

He discusses the Tenderloin drug market, Honduran street dealers, Mexican suppliers, fentanyl economics, undercover police work, drug trafficking routes, confidential informants, cartel connections, stolen property rings, car break-ins, retail theft, rehab fraud, Proposition 47, and why many officers believe the system has stopped holding repeat offenders accountable.

This conversation is a raw, unfiltered look at crime, addiction, policing, fentanyl, and the collapse of public order in one of America’s most iconic cities.

Topics covered:

-San Francisco fentanyl crisis

-Tenderloin open-air drug market

-SFPD undercover narcotics work

-Fentanyl trafficking in California

-Honduran drug dealers in San Francisco

-Mexican cartel supply chains

-Drug addiction and homelessness

-Proposition 47 and criminal justice reform

-Retail theft, bipping, and stolen property rings

-Confidential informants and federal wiretaps

-Undercover gun and drug buys

-How fentanyl changed the drug trade

Go Support Britt!

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/britt-elmore-5641a53a

This Episode Is #Sponsored By The Following:

Mood! Head to https://mood.com, browse their amazing selection of functional gummies, and find the perfect gummy for whatever you're dealing with. Use promo code CONNECT at checkout to save 20% on your first order.

Join The Patreon For Bonus Content!

https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow

00:00 San Francisco’s fentanyl crisis

01:33 Arrests, treatment, and the debate over addiction policy

03:04 Drugs inside jails, rehabs, and nonprofit systems

07:16 San Francisco’s tech wealth and drug culture

11:16 Honduran dealers and the Tenderloin street market

13:57 How Tenderloin dealers make money and avoid arrest

15:18 Heroin, fentanyl, and changing opioid markets

17:28 The economics of fentanyl

20:16 Britt Elmore’s undercover narcotics career

24:34 How Honduran dealers arrive, live, and operate in the Bay Area

28:35 Working wires from street dealers to Mexico

30:01 This Episode Is Sponsored By Mood

31:37 Meth, heroin, Sinaloa links, and border corruption

41:24 The undercover warehouse fencing operation

49:20 Reactive policing, low-level crime, and Proposition 47

55:01 “Bipping,” retail theft, and stolen goods networks

1:02:13 Drug transport routes through California, Oregon, and Washington

1:04:18 How federal wiretaps work

1:10:45 Major seizures and hidden stash houses

1:12:18 Prescription pills, addiction, and fentanyl recovery

1:23:03 Narcan, overdoses, and fentanyl contamination myths

1:29:39 Mexican trafficking groups, meth, and Hell’s Angels case

1:32:12 Informants, federal pressure, and who flips

1:51:42 Guns, switches, Dracos, and ATF cases

2:00:51 Cannabis eradication and drug money in the mail

2:18:28 Life undercover, adrenaline, and retirement
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From a strict Mormon upbringing in Texas to the violent world of cartel-connected crime, Tyler’s story is one of the wildest we’ve heard.

In this episode, Tyler explains how he went from being a high school kid making money transporting drugs to working around human-smuggling networks along the Texas–Mexico border. He describes witnessing extreme cartel violence at a young age, moving migrants through border towns, becoming involved in violent contract work in Mexico, and later building a large drug business back home.

Tyler also opens up about the side of that lifestyle people rarely talk about—the paranoia, emotional numbness, PTSD, memory problems, prison, and the difficulty of returning to a normal life after years surrounded by violence.

We discuss:

• Growing up in a strict Mormon household

• Getting recruited into drug transportation as a teenager

• Witnessing cartel violence for the first time

• How human-smuggling networks operate along the border

• Coyotes, safe houses, spotters, burner phones, and cartel organization

• His descent into increasingly violent criminal work

• Building a drug business through Snapchat

• His 2019 arrest and prison sentence

• The lasting psychological effects of the lifestyle

• Therapy, family, faith, and trying to rebuild his life

This conversation contains descriptions of violence, drug trafficking, and other criminal activity. It is presented for documentary, educational, and entertainment purposes and is not intended to promote or encourage illegal behavior.

This Episode Is #Sponsored By The Following:

BetterHelp! See the reviews, see what stands out, and see if BetterHelp is right for you. Visit https://betterhelp.com/connect

Mood! Head to https://mood.com, browse their amazing selection of functional gummies, and find the perfect gummy for whatever you're dealing with. Use promo code CONNECT at checkout to save 20% on your first order.

Join The Patreon For Bonus Content!

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00:00 Intro: Mormon Kid to Cartel Hitman

01:27 Growing Up in a Strict Mormon Household

03:13 Rebelling Against Church Rules

04:16 First Adventure: Driving Heroin

06:40 Close Call: Witnessing a Chainsaw Murder

09:07 The Psychological Aftermath

12:32 Understanding the Cartel's Organization

15:10 Mental Health Struggles and Trauma

20:35 This Episode Is Sponsored By BetterHelp

21:55 Getting Back into Smuggling

23:23 Human Smuggling Operations and Safe Houses

27:18 Evolution into a Hitman

29:04 Cartel's Control and Police Corruption

31:52 The Job: Contract, Payment, and Preparation

36:27 The First Hit and Moral Numbing

40:33 This Episode Is Sponsored By Mood

42:33 Avoiding Addiction and the Double Life

45:08 The Worst Thing Seen: Four Days of Torture

52:00 The Drug Business and Burner Phones

01:10:11 Getting Busted and Going to Prison

01:17:00 Building the Snapchat Drug Empire

01:22:26 Why Keep Doing Hits?

01:24:07 The Last Job and Quitting

01:27:01 Arrest and Prison Sentence

01:30:09 Life After Prison and Redemption
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Katarina Szulc returns to The Connect after reporting on the ground in Sinaloa, where the cartel war has pushed Culiacán deeper into violence and uncertainty.

In this episode, she breaks down what she witnessed firsthand, why the Chapitos are under enormous pressure, and how CJNG could emerge as one of the biggest winners if the Chapitos eventually collapse or surrender. With CJNG already providing manpower and resources to its Sinaloa allies, could the organization ultimately move in and absorb their territory?

We also get into the escalating war inside the Sinaloa Cartel, the future of the remaining Chapitos, alleged cartel ties to Mexican politicians, the growing influence of CJNG, what daily life now looks like in Culiacán, forced recruitment, and Katarina's disturbing investigation into human trafficking in Tijuana.

This is an inside look at one of the most important power struggles happening in Mexico's criminal underworld—and what could come next.

Go Support Katarina!

YouTube: @katarinaszulc

IG: https://www.instagram.com/katarinaszulc

Join The Patreon For Bonus Content!

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00:00 The Cartel's Control Over Sinaloa

02:40 Senseless Murders and Public Fear

03:30 Governor Rocha's Indictment

08:30 Challenges of Reporting in Sinaloa

13:30 Inside the Daily Murders

20:00 The War for Cartel Control

23:30 CJNG Alliance and Mencho's Death

28:00 Cartel Convoys and Rural Danger

32:00 Humanizing Cartel Members

34:00 Victims and the New Generation

36:00 Cartel Economics and Recruitment

39:00 Chapitos' Surrender Talks

44:00 Political Leverage and US Influence

50:00 Mazatlan's Strategic Value

58:00 Human Trafficking Crisis
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Steven Dixon, a former Baltimore heroin kingpin, reveals how the city’s drug trade really worked during its most notorious era—from New York suppliers and mob connections to high-purity heroin, street corners generating staggering amounts of cash, and the operation that made him millions.

He breaks down how heroin moved from New York to Baltimore, how dealers controlled territory across West Baltimore, why trusted connections mattered, and how the drug economy seen in The Wire compared to what was actually happening on the streets.

But the money and power came with a devastating price. After building a massive operation and owning more than 100 properties, Steven eventually became addicted to heroin himself—losing the empire, the money, and nearly everything else.

After years of addiction, he finally got clean, returned to school, earned a master’s degree, and dedicated his life to helping others recover through addiction treatment and behavioral health programs.

This is the inside story of Baltimore’s heroin era—from millions in drug money to addiction, recovery, and redemption.

Go Support Steven!

Recovery Facility: https://absolutehbh.com/

This Episode Is #Sponsored By The Following:

Cash App! Download Cash App Today: https://capl.onelink.me/vFut/1ekoiacn #CashAppPod

Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App’s bank partner(s). Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC. Cash App Visa® Debit Flex Cards issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, and The Bancorp Bank, N.A., pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. See terms and conditions for the Sutton prepaid card, Sutton debit flex card, and Bancorp debit flex card. Cash App Green features, Savings, Direct deposit, Round ups, Overdraft coverage and Discounts provided by Cash App, a Block, Inc. brand. Visit cash.app/legal/podcast for full disclosures.

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00:00 Meet Steve Dixon

00:37 Baltimore's Heroin Kingpin

02:11 Reflections on the Drug Trade

03:32 Why Baltimore is a Heroin City

05:13 The Nigerian Connection

07:44 Building a Fortune

10:53 From Heroin to Fentanyl

12:07 This Episode Is Sponsored By Cash App

13:27 Growing Up in Baltimore

16:04 A Life on the Streets

19:03 Acquiring Turf and Connections

21:27 Regrets and Community Impact

23:35 Keys to Success in the Game

25:31 The Mob and Nigerian Sources

27:00 Distribution Network

30:43 This Episode Is Sponsored By Superpower

32:13 Police and Stash Houses

34:54 Violence and Stickup Boys

37:24 The Fall: Addiction

40:16 Investing in the Community

42:16 This Episode Is Sponsored By NordVPN

43:52 The Addiction to Money

45:40 A Day in the Life

50:38 Handling Massive Cash

52:37 The Turning Point

56:30 Dodging a Federal Case

58:00 Descent into Addiction

01:01:40 Losing Everything

01:04:10 Life as a Homeless Addict

01:07:26 The Road to Recovery

01:11:20 Helping Others Get Clean

01:14:42 The Rehab Industry

01:18:22 Redemption and Legacy

01:20:24 Is Baltimore Better Now?

01:23:57 Changing Attitudes in the Community

01:27:02 Final Thoughts
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