Today’s guest is Steve Murphy and Javier Peña.

DEA special agents Javier Peña and Steve Murphy were assigned as the lead investigators targeting Escobar and his Medellin Cartel organization. These true American heroes provide a first-hand lesson in history as they discuss their efforts bringing down the world’s first narco-terrorist, the challenges they faced in oftentimes hostile and life-threatening environments, and the innovative strategies they employed to successfully end the reign of terror of the world’s most wanted criminal.

In this first outing, we look at how the Netflix series 'Narcos' matched the real investigation. We discuss their story, training, how they found Colombia, the role of the local population, their thoughts on Escobar and so much more.

 

In this interview, we discuss gems like:

• Who they are
• Their inspiration to become a law enforcement agent
• How was the DEA training setup when they joined the Agency
• How did Pablo Escobar come to prominence and 'fame'
• How true to life was Narcos
• How did they find the transition from the American way of life to moving to Colombia?
• How was interacting with the Colombian National Police
• What was a typical day like in the DEA in Colombia
• The tactics that were used to track Escobar and his associates
• How do you overcome the 'Robin Hood' characterization that Escobar had with the poor communities he bought the loyalty of
• How did they overcome feeling fear during such dangerous times
• How do you build connections with the local people?
• What happened on the rooftop compared to what is shown
• How did they react after Escobar was killed?
• What was next for the pair after Escobar was killed
• How can the lure of drugs be reduced and fixed?
• What one thing do they wish they could have said to Escobar?
• How to build such strong friendships as Javier and Steve have
• Was Javier as much as a lady's man as the show portrays him as?!
• Why you should buy a copy of their book 'Manhunters'
• How you can connect with them