The Connect- with Johnny Mitchell

In this PART 2 episode, Dominican kingpin Adam Diaz sits down for a wild, unfiltered conversation about his rise from the streets of New York to the top levels of the cocaine trade. He talks about building major operations in Brooklyn, working with powerful Colombian connections, and moving massive amounts of cocaine through mules, warehouses, and import businesses.

Adam also opens up about prison, trying to go legit after getting out, why he got pulled back into the game, and how his second federal case finally brought everything down. From the Medellín-era drug world to front corporations, heroin deals, close calls with police, and losing millions in property, this is a firsthand story about ambition, power, risk, and the cost of living that life.

Topics covered in this interview:

-Growing up between the Dominican Republic and New York

-Becoming a major cocaine supplier in NYC

-Colombian cartel connections

-Drug smuggling through luggage and import businesses

-Life after prison and failed attempts to go legit

-Heroin trafficking in the late 1990s

-Federal investigations, informants, and arrest

-Deportation and life today

Go Support Adam! https://kingofbrooklyn.weebly.com/

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https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow

00:00 Smuggling Cocaine: Early Operations

01:40 Rise in New York's Drug Trade

02:56 Adam's Background and Life in the US

05:00 Becoming a Kingpin & Building Operations

10:12 Prison, Parole, and Reentry

13:39 Getting Back Into the Game

17:52 Partnerships with Medellin Cartel

21:02 New Logistics: Miami to New York

24:33 Innovating Smuggling Tactics

27:09 Launching Shell Companies and Corporations

32:08 Securing Documents and Going International

36:54 Banana & Malanga Shipments: Sophisticated Operations

43:27 Importing and Moving Massive Loads

47:40 Warehouses, Distributors, and the Bronx Connection

51:02 Manpower and Money: Running the Smuggling Business

54:44 Handling Distribution, Losses, and Risks

01:01:29 Who Buys the Coke? Managing Customers

01:06:05 Heroin, Laptops, and Market Expansion

01:11:27 How the Feds Finally Got Adam

01:17:03 Avoiding Law Enforcement and Getting Lucky

01:26:45 Second Indictment, Sentencing, and Prison

01:35:08 Deportation and Life After Prison

01:38:13 Reflections on Life and Legacy
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From surfer to cartel kingpin… then a 60-year sentence.

In this wild episode, Mark Branon shares his unbelievable rise as one of the biggest marijuana traffickers in the U.S.—moving up to 30,000 lbs across the country while working with the Sinaloa cartel. From flying loads over the border to building million-dollar smuggling operations, his story sounds straight out of a movie.

But everything changed when a prosecutor targeted him… and he made a decision that would haunt him forever.

Inside this episode:

-Running multi-ton marijuana operations coast-to-coast

-Working directly with cartel networks in Mexico

-Close calls with DEA, informants, and betrayals

-The attempted hit on a prosecutor that went horribly wrong

-How his own lawyer flipped and helped take him down

-Life sentence, prison politics, and eventual release

This is a raw, unfiltered look at the rise and fall of a real-life drug boss—and the consequences that followed.

Go Support Mark! https://thrivingagain.health/

This Episode Is #Sponsored By The Following:

StopBox! Get firearm security redesigned and save 10% off @StopBoxUSA with code CONNECT at https://stopboxusa.com/connect #stopboxpod

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00:00 Meet Mark & His Wild Story

01:55 Mark’s Early Life & Upbringing

07:07 Surf Culture & First Steps into the Drug Game

14:40 This Episode Is Sponsored By StopBox

16:20 First Bust & Learning Prison Networking

19:24 Smuggling by Air: Thrill, Guns & Close Calls

25:01 From Air Drops to Cartel Connections

31:09 Working with the Arellano Felix Organization

38:38 Cabo, Corruption, and Building a Double Life

40:12 This Episode Is Sponsored By HelloFresh

41:55 DEA Surveillance & Cat-and-Mouse

54:59 This Episode Is Sponsored By Cash App

56:22 Transition to Sinaloa & Rafa’s Crew

01:03:30 The Art of Moving Major Weight

01:10:06 Logistics: Networks, Stashing & Scaling Up

01:17:08 Downfall: Betrayal from Within the Crew

01:26:01 Legal Nightmare: State and Federal Cases

01:34:35 The Prosecutor Plot & The Botched Hit

01:45:41 Legal Proceedings Get Dirtier

01:52:47 Conviction, Prison, & How Mark Got Out

02:08:04 Release, Reflections & What’s Next

02:22:21 Closing Thoughts & What’s Coming in Part 2
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In this episode with journalist Jorge Ventura, we break down what’s really happening at the U.S.–Mexico border, Trump’s deportation strategy, and the hidden crisis fueling cartel power.

From mass deportation plans and urban ICE operations to cartel smuggling networks and the shocking rise in global migrants, this conversation goes far beyond the headlines.

We also dive deep into one of the most disturbing stories rarely covered in mainstream media — Mexico’s missing persons crisis — where thousands are disappearing and families are forced to search for mass graves on their own.

This is a raw, on-the-ground look at immigration, cartels, and the future of U.S. policy in Latin America.

Topics Covered:

-Why border crossings dropped — and why they’re rising again

-Trump’s deportation strategy and why it backfired

-Inside ICE operations in cities like Minneapolis

-How cartels smuggle migrants from China, the Middle East, and beyond

-The role of countries like Nicaragua in global migration routes

-Media narratives vs reality at the border

-Mexico’s missing persons crisis (200,000+ disappeared)

-Cartel forced labor, recruitment, and human trafficking

-U.S. foreign policy, CIA involvement, and future military possibilities

Go Support Jorge!

YouTube: @Venturareports

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

00:00 Mexico's Disappeared: The Missing Persons Crisis

04:48 Cartels, Kidnapping, and Community Power

07:26 Border Policy Shifts: Trump vs. Biden

13:01 Cartels & Special Interest Migrants at the Border

18:42 Fears of Terror Cells and Cartel Smuggling

25:23 How Cartels Use Forced Labor and Disappearances

34:43 Inside Parent Search Groups & Mass Graves

42:45 The Economics Behind Kidnappings and Forced Labor

49:22 Cartel Networks, S*x Trade & Exploitation

54:57 US-Mexico Relations and Military Involvement?

01:01:41 Mass Deportation Pushback: The Minneapolis Story

01:13:39 Protests, Community Resistance & Political Impact

01:20:44 International Shifts: Foreign Policy and Mexico's Future

01:27:30 The Scope of Corruption, Disappearances, and Daily Life

01:34:02 Reporting in Mexico: Human Stories & Lost Voices

01:39:39 Continuing the Coverage: Future Investigations
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From the cities of the Dominican Republic to the streets of Washington Heights to the heart of Brooklyn’s most dangerous neighborhoods, this is the untold story of Adam Diaz — a teenage immigrant who rose to become one of New York’s most powerful cocaine kingpins.

By just 18 years old, Diaz had already made his first million. Within a year, he was moving dozens of kilos a day through a network of bodegas, hidden stash houses, and underground tunnels — building an empire that generated millions of dollars weekly. His operation stretched across boroughs, fueled by direct connections to Colombian suppliers and protected by corruption at the highest levels, including ties to dirty NYPD officers.

But behind the wealth, power, and influence was a world of constant violence, paranoia, and survival. Shootouts in broad daylight, rival crews, federal investigations, and betrayals from within — every move carried deadly consequences.

This conversation dives deep into the rise, expansion, and eventual downfall of Adam Diaz’s drug empire, revealing how the crack era, systemic corruption, and street economics created a perfect storm for one of the most explosive criminal careers of the 1980s.

From million-dollar days to federal prison sentences, this is a raw and unfiltered look at ambition, risk, and the true cost of the drug game.

Go Support Adam! https://kingofbrooklyn.weebly.com/

This Episode Is #Sponsored By The Following:

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Join The Patreon For Bonus Content!

https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow

00:00 Adam Diaz's Rise: Making a Million at 18

02:00 From Dominican Republic to NYC: Early Life

05:30 Dominican Drug Dealers in New York

10:00 Washington Heights & NYC Drug Scene

16:58 This Episode Is Sponsored By Hims!

18:29 Getting into the Game: Family Ties

22:00 First Bodega Hustles and Street Fights

26:00 Taking Over the Drug Spot

29:40 This Episode Is Sponsored By Shopify!

31:56 Scaling Up: Building the Network

35:00 Supply Chains: Colombian Connections

41:00 The Bodega Operation: Logistics & Hidden Tunnels

47:00 Expansion: Multiple Bodegas, Factories & Staff

50:17 This Episode Is Sponsored By Ava!

51:39 Dealing with Cops and Corruption

01:00:00 Major Busts, Stick-Ups, and Surviving Shootouts

01:05:00 Wholesale Moves & Dealing with Competition

01:14:00 Importing Direct: Wanting to Be the Plug

01:18:00 Peak Operations: Moving Serious Weight

01:22:00 Paying Off Police & Dirty Cops in the Mix

01:27:00 Violence, Loyalty, and Surviving Attacks

01:34:00 Going Global: Importing and Losing Millions

01:43:00 The Fall: Getting Caught and Beating the Case

01:51:00 Court Drama and Plea Bargain

01:59:00 Family Reactions and Reflection

02:04:00 Sentencing and Aftermath

02:09:00 Present Day: Life After the Drug Game
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El Diablo is back for Part 2 of this intense interview about cartel violence, the reported death of El Mencho, and the shifting power structure inside CJNG and the Sinaloa cartel.

In this episode, El Diablo shares his version of what happened after Mencho was captured, explains why the violence exploded across Mexico, and gives his take on who could take over CJNG next. He also breaks down the ongoing war in Sinaloa, why he believes it won’t end anytime soon, and how cartel alliances are changing behind the scenes.

The conversation also goes deep into the business side of trafficking: cocaine routes, marijuana smuggling, cartel logistics, foreign associates, money laundering, crypto, and why synthetic drugs are reshaping the entire underworld. El Diablo reflects on three decades in the game, the costs of that life, and why he believes it’s time to get out.

This is Part 2 of one of the wildest cartel interviews on the channel.

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00:00 Aftermath of Mencho's Death

03:39 How Mencho Was Really Killed

06:31 Cartel Violence and Power Struggles

09:40 Succession, Alliances & Ongoing War

13:41 Life as a Drug Trafficker in the US

16:45 From Weed to Cocaine: Shifts in Smuggling

20:49 Drug Logistics: Air, Land & Water Routes

25:00 Family Legacy and Prison Stories

27:34 Retirement Plans and Loyalty in the Game

31:20 Behind the Scenes: Money, Partnerships, and Risks

36:41 Narco Culture, Corridos, and Fame

41:21 Money Laundering and Cryptocurrency in the Cartels

46:34 Changing Drug Trends & Generation Shift

48:03 Dangers, Addictions, and the Modern Cartel World

49:45 Scale of the Cocaine Trade

50:31 Reflections, Retirement, and Final Thoughts
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