In this episode of Honor Among Thieves Podcast, Nelson Rodriguez Jr. sits down with attorney and author Adrian Enrique Alvarez to uncover how the Mafia in Cuba transformed 1950s Havana into a gambling empire. They trace the rise of Lucky Luciano, Meyer Lansky and Santo Trafficante as organized crime developed powerful ties to Fulgencio Batista and Havana’s casinos.

Adrian explains how mob-backed casinos helped make Havana a tropical rival to Las Vegas, what the major Mafia figures controlled and how the Cuban Revolution brought their empire crashing down. The conversation follows Fidel Castro’s takeover, the seizure of Mafia properties and Santo Trafficante’s efforts to reclaim what organized crime had lost.

The episode also examines reported CIA-Mafia plots to assassinate Fidel Castro, the roles of Johnny Roselli, Frank Sturgis and Rolando Cubela, and their alleged connections to JFK and Watergate. Adrian also reveals the history behind his book, Cubela Libre: Road to Revolution, and why this chapter of Cuban and Mafia history still matters today.

Topics covered:

How the American Mafia established itself in Cuba

Lucky Luciano’s vision for a Mafia-controlled Havana

Meyer Lansky’s Cuban casino empire

Santo Trafficante and organized crime in Florida and Cuba

Fulgencio Batista’s relationship with the Mafia

Why Havana became a rival to Las Vegas

How Fidel Castro’s revolution dismantled the Mafia empire

The CIA and Mafia plots to assassinate Fidel Castro

Rolando Cubela, Johnny Roselli and Frank Sturgis

The history behind Cubela Libre: Road to Revolution

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 How the Mafia Built Its Havana Empire

11:11 How the American Mafia Took Control of Cuba

19:40 Fulgencio Batista Hires Meyer Lansky to Run Gambling

30:08 Lucky Luciano’s Plan for a Mafia Narco-State

40:10 The Mafia Tries to Work With Fidel Castro

48:10 CIA-Mafia Plots to Assassinate Fidel Castro

54:50 Cocaine, Meyer Lansky and the Mob After Cuba

1:00:34 Santo Trafficante, Marita Lorenz and the JFK Connection

1:10:00 How Havana’s Casino Legacy Reached Las Vegas

1:16:24 How the Cuban Revolution Reshaped Miami

1:19:53 Cubela Libre, Redemption and the Criminal Mindset

📌 Have an unbelievable story? Apply to be a guest:

👉 https://www.honoramongthievespodcast.com/guest

Get Your Merch👇👇👇

https://shop.honoramongthievespodcast.com/products/the-world-is-mine-unisex-t-shirt

Become an Honor Among Thieves Patreon Member

Join The Underworld👇👇👇

https://www.patreon.com/cw/honoramongthieves?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

🔗 Links

📸 Nelson on Instagram

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

📸 Adrian on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/yoadrian305?igsi=N3llNWQwdzBmcGpk

Get Your Copy of "Cubela Libre"

https://cubelalibre.com/

💎 Sponsors

Nord VPN

https://bit.ly/honorvpn

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Red Pill Aries joins Nelson Rodriguez Jr. on the Honor Among Thieves Podcast to reveal how he went from selling drugs as a teenager to moving cocaine, making serious money and entering the circles of rappers including Lil Pump, Ski Mask the Slump God and Smokepurpp. By 19, Julian says he had become one of South Florida’s most connected young dealers—but the lifestyle was quickly closing in on him.

Julian recounts the police raid that ended his operation, the evidence investigators discovered and why he says he refused to cooperate against his supplier. After initially facing an eight-year prison offer, he ultimately received a three-year sentence and experienced the realities of Broward County jail and the Florida prison system.

Now known online as Red Pill Aries, Julian discusses sobriety, viral fame, toxic relationships, social media influence and rebuilding his life after prison. This is a raw conversation about the Miami rap scene, cocaine trafficking, incarceration, redemption and using painful experiences to help the next generation.

Topics covered:

Becoming a drug dealer as a teenager

Moving cocaine throughout South Florida

Lil Pump, Ski Mask the Slump God and Smokepurpp

Becoming connected to the Miami rap scene

The police raid that ended his operation

Why Julian says he refused to cooperate

Facing eight years before receiving three years

Broward County jail and Florida prison life

Getting sober and rebuilding after incarceration

Viral fame, social media and Red Pill Aries

Prison reform and helping at-risk youth

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 Red Pill Aries Discusses His Recent Arrest

06:21 From Bogotá to South Florida: Julian’s Childhood

11:30 Early Hustles, Robberies and Selling Drugs at School

17:10 Bullying, Money and Escalating Drug Use

25:46 Becoming the Rappers’ Plug in South Florida

30:24 Xanax Blackouts and an Armed Robbery Gone Wrong

37:08 Trust, Family and the Mental Cost of Drug Dealing

42:24 Set Up by an Informant: The SWAT Raid and Arrest

50:25 Eight-Year Offer, Three-Year Sentence and Broward County Jail

57:11 High-Custody Florida Prison and Multiple Detainers

1:03:06 From Prison to a $100K Crypto Come-Up

1:07:49 How Red Pill Aries Built His Online Brand

1:12:46 Influencer Culture, Prison Reform and Helping Youth

1:16:18 Sobriety, Future Goals and Advice to His Younger Self

📌 Have an unbelievable story? Apply to be a guest:

👉 https://www.honoramongthievespodcast.com/guest

Get Your Merch👇👇👇

https://shop.honoramongthievespodcast.com/products/the-world-is-mine-unisex-t-shirt

Become an Honor Among Thieves Patreon Member

Join The Underworld👇👇👇

https://www.patreon.com/cw/honoramongthieves?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

🔗 Links

📸 Nelson on Instagram

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

📸 Red Pill Aries on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/redpillaries?igsi=NHZhYW1pcmlzM3Fw

💎 Sponsors

Nord VPN

https://bit.ly/honorvpn

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former LSD kingpin Seth Ferranti reveals the full story behind his alleged $500,000 LSD case, 100,000 doses of acid, staged death, two years as a fugitive, U.S. Marshals Top 15 Most Wanted status, and 25-year federal prison sentence.

In Episode 83 of Honor Among Thieves Podcast, Nelson Rodriguez Jr. sits down with Seth Ferranti for an unfiltered conversation about drug trafficking, federal prison, survival, journalism, filmmaking, and redemption.

Ferranti explains how experimenting with marijuana and psychedelics as a teenager eventually developed into a multistate marijuana and LSD operation supplying college markets throughout Virginia, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. By the summer of 1991, authorities alleged that his federal case involved more than 100,000 doses of LSD with an estimated street value of approximately $500,000.

Facing decades in federal prison or pressure to cooperate, Ferranti staged his own death at Great Falls National Park and disappeared. He left behind his vehicle, identification, clothing, a note, and other evidence near the Potomac River—but his plan failed after investigators found no body. Ferranti spent approximately two years running under false identities before the U.S. Marshals captured him in 1993.

At only 22 years old, Ferranti received a combined sentence of 304 months—25 years and four months—and ultimately served 21 years in federal prison. He describes the culture shock of entering a federal prison system dominated by hardened drug traffickers, organized crime figures, gang members, and men serving enormous sentences.

Instead of allowing prison to completely destroy his future, Ferranti earned three college degrees, became one of VICE’s earliest prison correspondents, wrote books about federal prison and legendary underworld figures, and developed relationships with the Mafia members and street legends whose stories he would eventually document.

After his release, Ferranti transformed those experiences into a filmmaking career. He became the writer and producer behind “White Boy,” the documentary about White Boy Rick, and later created projects including “Dope Man,” “Night Life,” “Psychedelic Revolution,” “A Tortured Mind,” and “Tangled Roots.”

Seth also speaks candidly about relapse, returning to prison on another marijuana case, rebuilding his life again, and why he believes redemption is an ongoing process.

In this episode:

• How Seth Ferranti entered the marijuana and LSD trade

• The college drug network operating across multiple states

• The alleged 100,000 doses and $500,000 LSD case

• The incident that triggered the federal investigation

• Why Ferranti staged his own death

• Two years as a U.S. Marshals Most Wanted fugitive

• Receiving 25 years in federal prison at age 22

• Surviving federal prison alongside Mafia and gang figures

• Becoming a VICE prison correspondent and published author

• Creating the White Boy Rick documentary “White Boy”

• Turning 21 years in prison into a filmmaking career

• Relapse, returning to prison, and pursuing redemption again

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

0:00 Intro

3:41 Growing Up in California and Entering the Drug Trade

8:10 Building a Multi-State College Drug Network

15:15 How the Federal LSD Investigation Began

21:23 Informants, Federal Charges and Faking His Own Death

28:38 Two Years on the Run Under False Identities

35:31 How the U.S. Marshals Captured Seth Ferranti

41:38 25-Year Sentence, Mafia Connections and Federal Prison Survival

51:35 Earning Three Degrees and Becoming a Prison Writer

58:24 Becoming VICE’s Prison Correspondent and Interviewing Street Legends

1:04:18 Creating the White Boy Rick Documentary and Finding Success

1:11:46 Tangled Roots, Relapse and the Ongoing Fight for Redemption

📌 Have an unbelievable story? Apply to be a guest:

👉 https://www.honoramongthievespodcast.com/guest

Get Your Merch👇👇👇

https://shop.honoramongthievespodcast.com/products/the-world-is-mine-unisex-t-shirt

Become an Honor Among Thieves Patreon Member

Join The Underworld👇👇👇

https://www.patreon.com/cw/honoramongthieves?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

🔗 Links

📸 Nelson on Instagram

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

📸 Seth on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/sethferranti?igsh=MWN5b29sNzFkODV0Mw==

💎 Sponsors

Nord VPN

https://bit.ly/honorvpn

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Freddy Dee grew up in Harlem, Florida, just outside Clewiston, surrounded by stories of street legends in his own family. His grandfather and uncle were known as hustlers and street guys, and Freddy says he grew up hearing stories about robberies, dice games, poker games—even armored trucks.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anthony “Tone Legacy” Baptiste was portrayed as a New York drug kingpin responsible for helping move heroin into Suffolk County, Long Island. His case resulted in a $5 million cash bail, a $10 million bond, and eventually a sentence of 51 years to life in New York State prison.

But roughly 10 years later, Tone walked out of prison.

In this episode of Honor Among Thieves Podcast, Tone Legacy sits down with Nelson Rodriguez Jr. to tell the full story of how a kid from Far Rockaway and Long Island went from selling marijuana as a teenager to entering the New York drug trade, facing a major drug trafficking prosecution, and ultimately receiving what looked like a sentence that would keep him behind bars for the rest of his life.

Tone explains how investigators and prosecutors portrayed him as a major heroin trafficker operating an East Coast pipeline into Suffolk County. He also gives his side of the story, arguing that the public image created around his case was far bigger than the level of drug dealing he says he was actually involved in.

After being convicted on 14 of 16 charges, Tone says his original sentence was calculated at 46 years to life before being corrected to an astonishing 51 years to life.

His appeal did not overturn his conviction, but his sentence was eventually reduced to 25 years to life in the interest of justice.

That still wasn’t enough.

Inside prison, Tone turned the law library into what he describes as his office. After studying his case for years, he wrote his own legal motion and identified what he believed was a sentencing error involving his major drug trafficking conviction and a separate drug sale used to support that same conviction.

According to Tone, prosecutors eventually conceded the sentencing issue.

That legal fight ultimately changed the course of his life.

After becoming eligible for merit parole and work release, Tone was released from New York State prison on February 18, 2026, after serving approximately 10 years.

In this conversation, Tone also discusses life inside maximum-security prisons including Clinton Correctional Facility and Green Haven, New York prison politics, the criminal justice system, appealing a life sentence, representing himself legally, institutionalization, faith, redemption, and rebuilding his identity after a decade behind bars.

Today, Tone is a certified personal trainer and works with A Second U Foundation, an organization focused on helping formerly incarcerated people rebuild their lives through fitness, employment, and reentry opportunities.

This is the story of how Anthony “Tone Legacy” Baptiste went from being labeled a New York drug kingpin and facing 51 years to life to walking out of prison roughly a decade later.

In this episode:

How he entered the New York drug trade

The drug trade in Suffolk County and Long Island

The investigation that changed his life

Facing major drug trafficking charges

His $5 million cash bail and $10 million bond

Why authorities portrayed him as a New York kingpin

Going to trial instead of accepting his situation

Receiving a 51-years-to-life prison sentence

Life inside Clinton and Green Haven Correctional Facilities

Becoming eligible for merit parole

Walking out of prison after approximately 10 years

Life parole, reentry and rebuilding after prison

Subscribe to Honor Among Thieves Podcast for true stories about organized crime, drug trafficking, prison, street life, the criminal justice system, survival, redemption, and life after incarceration.

Chapters

00:00 51 Years to Life: Anthony “Tone Legacy” Baptiste’s Story

04:00 Growing Up in Far Rockaway and Long Island

13:29 Building a Party Promotion Business While Living a Double Life

22:04 Cocaine, Fast Money and the Pull of the Streets

30:35 How the Recession Changed New York’s Drug Game

35:17 How Tone Legacy Started Selling H

41:42 The Investigation and the Night Everything Fell Apart

49:03 Police Interrogation, Refusing to Talk and a $5 Million Bail

55:21 Facing Life in Prison and Refusing the Plea Deal

01:02:26 Studying Law and the Fake Jury Selection

01:11:40 Taking the H Trafficking Case to Trial

01:21:26 Sentenced to 51 Years to Life—and Fighting It From Prison

01:28:00 Asset Forfeiture, $700,000 and 4,000 Pages of Records

01:32:31 Life After Prison, Redemption and Building a New Legacy

📌 Have an unbelievable story? Apply to be a guest:

👉 https://www.honoramongthievespodcast.com/guest

Get Your Merch👇👇👇

https://shop.honoramongthievespodcast.com/products/the-world-is-mine-unisex-t-shirt

Become an Honor Among Thieves Patreon Member

Join The Underworld👇👇👇

https://www.patreon.com/cw/honoramongthieves?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

🔗 Links

📸 Nelson on Instagram

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

📸 Tone on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/tonelegacy?igsh=MWJrdGNwMGh2OGo5bQ==

💎 Sponsors

Nord VPN

https://bit.ly/honorvpn

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At just 19 years old, Chris Willars faced six potential life sentences after being charged with six robberies, six gun offenses, and six conspiracies. When the judge announced a total sentence of 144 years, Chris believed his life was over—but all except 19 years were suspended. He ultimately served 16 years and 11 months in Virginia state prison.

In this episode of Honor Among Thieves Podcast, Chris tells Nelson Rodriguez Jr. how a former Air Force member became involved in a robbery case, turned down an opportunity to cooperate against his codefendants, and entered Virginia’s violent level-four prison system.

Chris describes his first days inside, including being handed a prison knife by his cellmate, walking through the prison while armed guards watched from above, spending years in solitary confinement, and learning how to survive some of Virginia’s most dangerous prison yards.

He also explains how becoming a Five Percenter in prison gave him structure, discipline, knowledge of self, and a community during the darkest period of his life. Chris is no longer a Five Percenter, but he credits those teachings with helping redirect the path he was on.

After nearly 17 years behind bars, Chris walked out of prison in January 2020 and began rebuilding his life. Today, he is a husband, father, motivational speaker, and founder of The Life Unit, a nonprofit organization focused on youth intervention, recovery, outreach, gang prevention, and keeping young people from entering the criminal justice system.

This is a powerful conversation about prison survival, loyalty, consequences, personal transformation, redemption, and what it takes to rebuild a life after losing nearly two decades to incarceration.

In this episode:

Chris Willars’ robbery case and arrest

Facing six potential life sentences at 19

Why detectives offered to let him go home

Turning down an opportunity to cooperate

The judge announcing a 144-year sentence

Serving nearly 17 years in Virginia prison

Life inside a level-four maximum-security prison

Being handed a knife on his first day

Spending more than three years in solitary confinement

Becoming a Five Percenter in prison

Prison politics, violence, survival, and institutionalization

Reentering society after nearly two decades

Marriage, fatherhood, faith, redemption, and The Life Unit

Subscribe to Honor Among Thieves Podcast for true stories about crime, prison, survival, redemption, organized crime, and life after incarceration.

Chapters

00:00 Chris Willars Faces 6 Life Sentences

04:00 What Is a Five Percenter?

17:16 Joining the Air Force and Losing His Military Career

26:00 How a Robbery Plan Began

31:40 The Night of the Armed Robbery

39:30 Turning Himself In at 19 Years Old

45:33 Solitary Confinement and the “Yellow Brick Road”

52:30 The Judge Announces a 144-Year Sentence

59:03 First Day at Sussex II State Prison

1:03:26 His Cellmate Hands Him a Prison Knife

1:14:49 Becoming a Five Percenter Behind Bars

1:22:30 Betrayal, Solitary Confinement and Returning to Level 4

1:27:00 Violence and Predators Inside Virginia Prison

1:32:40 Serving Nearly 17 Years and Coming Home

1:36:00 Walking Out of Prison Mentally Changed

1:43:50 Redemption, Faith and Life After Prison

📌 Have an unbelievable story? Apply to be a guest:

👉 https://www.honoramongthievespodcast.com/guest

Get Your Merch👇👇👇

https://shop.honoramongthievespodcast.com/products/the-world-is-mine-unisex-t-shirt

Become an Honor Among Thieves Patreon Member

Join The Underworld👇👇👇

https://www.patreon.com/cw/honoramongthieves?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

🔗 Links

📸 Nelson on Instagram

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

📸 Chris on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/christopher_life_willars?igsh=MWRyaDE3eWpmemd0bw==

💎 Sponsors

Nord VPN

https://bit.ly/honorvpn

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Billy Hayes tells the real story behind Midnight Express—from smuggling hash out of Turkey to receiving a life sentence, surviving a brutal Turkish prison, and pulling off one of the most famous prison escapes of all time.

In this episode of Honor Among Thieves Podcast, Billy Hayes sits down with Nelson Rodriguez Jr. to explain what really happened before, during, and after the events that inspired the legendary film Midnight Express.

Billy opens up about why he began smuggling hashish, how he was arrested at the Istanbul airport, what it was like facing the Turkish justice system, and how his sentence was changed from a term of years to life in prison.

He also breaks down the conditions inside Turkish prison, the violence, fear, corruption, survival tactics, and psychological pressure that pushed him toward escape.

Billy then tells the full story of how he got out, crossed dangerous terrain, evaded capture, and eventually made it back to freedom.

The conversation also explores what Hollywood changed in Midnight Express, which scenes were exaggerated or completely fabricated, how the movie affected Turkey’s image around the world, and how Billy feels about the film decades later.

This episode covers:

The real story behind Midnight Express

Billy Hayes’ hash-smuggling operation

His arrest at the Istanbul airport

Being sentenced to life in a Turkish prison

Violence and survival inside prison

Planning and executing his escape

Crossing the border and reaching freedom

What the movie got right and wrong

The controversial courtroom speech

How Hollywood changed Billy Hayes’ story

The lasting legacy of Midnight Express

Billy’s life after prison and escape

Billy Hayes’ story remains one of the most famous prison-escape stories ever told—but the truth is even more complicated than the movie.

Watch the full episode of Honor Among Thieves Podcast now.

Subscribe for more firsthand interviews about true crime, prison survival, drug smuggling, organized crime, fugitives, redemption, and the real stories behind infamous cases.

Chapters

00:00 Billy Hayes’ Turkish Prison Escape and Life Sentence

06:02 Smuggling Two Kilos of Hash From Istanbul

15:10 Getting Caught at the Istanbul Airport

23:00 Interrogation, the CIA and His First Night in Custody

27:40 Surviving Violence Inside a Turkish Prison

37:05 Learning He Would Be Resentenced to Life in Prison

45:20 LSD, the Mental Hospital and Billy’s Failed Escape Plan

51:10 Planning a New Escape After Receiving a Life Sentence

59:30 The Night Billy Hayes Escaped From Prison

1:05:00 Reaching the Turkish Mainland and Running for His Life

1:13:00 Swimming the Border River Into Greece

1:19:00 Returning Home and the Turkish Media’s Escape Theories

1:29:00 Billy Hayes on Redemption, Love and the Meaning of Prison

📌 Have an unbelievable story? Apply to be a guest:

👉 https://www.honoramongthievespodcast.com/guest

Get Your Merch👇👇👇

https://shop.honoramongthievespodcast.com/products/the-world-is-mine-unisex-t-shirt

Become an Honor Among Thieves Patreon Member

Join The Underworld👇👇👇

https://www.patreon.com/cw/honoramongthieves?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

🔗 Links

📸 Nelson on Instagram

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

📸 Billy on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/realbillyhayes?igsh=MW9ieHRyeWY5M3Vraw==

💎 Sponsors

Nord VPN

https://bit.ly/honorvpn

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Retired undercover officer Lou Terminello takes us inside Miami’s nightlife during the 1980s, when cocaine, nightclubs, strip clubs, bars, and organized drug activity were deeply connected to the city’s entertainment scene.

In Episode 78 of Honor Among Thieves Podcast, Lou explains how he worked undercover for the State of Florida’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, infiltrating nightlife businesses suspected of allowing or participating in illegal drug sales.

His job was not simply to arrest the dealer.

Lou had to enter bars, clubs, and adult-entertainment businesses under a false identity, gain the trust of employees and owners, document the drug activity, make arrests, and gather enough evidence for the state to suspend or revoke the establishment’s liquor license.

Lou reveals how these undercover sting operations worked, how officers built cases inside crowded Miami clubs, and what happened when business owners knowingly allowed cocaine and other illegal drugs to be sold on their property.

The conversation explores:

Undercover police work in 1980s Miami

Cocaine sales inside bars, nightclubs, and strip clubs

How undercover officers gained the trust of dealers

Drug stings targeting Miami nightlife businesses

Arresting employees, dealers, and business owners

Suspending liquor licenses after narcotics investigations

The dangers of carrying out undercover operations without being exposed

Miami’s cocaine-fueled nightlife during the Cocaine Cowboys era

Automatic weapons, violent traffickers, and unpredictable drug deals

How law enforcement investigated businesses connected to illegal drugs

The psychological pressure of living behind a false identity

Lou’s most dangerous and unforgettable undercover cases

Lou also explains the difference between targeting an individual drug dealer and building a case against an entire business. To shut a club down, investigators had to prove that management knew what was happening—or was directly involved.

This episode provides a rare firsthand look at the law-enforcement side of Miami’s criminal underworld during one of the most notorious periods in the city’s history.

Subscribe for more firsthand interviews about true crime, undercover police work, drug trafficking, organized crime, federal prison, Miami crime history, ex-cons, law enforcement, and redemption.

Chapters

00:00 Undercover Miami Cop’s Wildest Drug-Sting Stories

08:35 Becoming a Part-Time Police Officer in Massachusetts

15:42 Police Academy Training and Becoming a Miami Cop

21:07 What Miami’s Streets Looked Like Before the Cocaine Boom

26:18 Becoming a Florida Alcohol and Tobacco Special Agent

36:03 Infiltrating Nightclubs, Strip Clubs and Illegal Gambling Operations

41:33 The Mobar Investigation in Key West

47:16 Representing the Same Nightlife Industry He Once Investigated

51:35 Working Hundreds of Undercover Drug Cases

54:19 Lou’s Most Unbelievable Undercover Investigations

59:57 The Cafe Iguana Drug and Liquor-License Case

1:08:06 Lou Terminello’s Life and Legal Career Today

📌 Have an unbelievable story? Apply to be a guest:

👉 https://www.honoramongthievespodcast.com/guest

Get Your Merch👇👇👇

https://shop.honoramongthievespodcast.com/products/the-world-is-mine-unisex-t-shirt

Become an Honor Among Thieves Patreon Member

Join The Underworld👇👇👇

https://www.patreon.com/cw/honoramongthieves?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

🔗 Links

📸 Nelson on Instagram

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

https://www.gmlaw.com/attorneys/louis-terminello/

💎 Sponsors

Nord VPN

https://bit.ly/honorvpn

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ken Behr says he moved 1,000- to 2,000-pound marijuana loads, trafficked more than 1,000 kilos of cocaine, and operated inside South Florida’s drug-smuggling world throughout the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s.

In Episode 77 of Honor Among Thieves Podcast, Ken reveals how a teenage marijuana operation grew into a decades-long career involving offshore freighters, speedboats, private aircraft, millions of dollars in cash and connections to some of the biggest marijuana smugglers in American history.

Ken describes arriving in South Florida during the height of the marijuana-smuggling era, when nearly everyone seemed to be involved in the drug trade. He explains how smugglers moved massive shipments from offshore freighters using Cigarette boats and sportfishing vessels, then transported the marijuana across the country in rental cars loaded with hundreds of pounds at a time.

He also shares his firsthand memories of working around legendary smuggler Donnie Steinberg, whom Ken describes as one of the largest marijuana traffickers in U.S. history. According to Ken, Steinberg was connected to freighters carrying as much as 200,000 pounds of marijuana and once discussed multiple enormous shipments arriving in different parts of the country on the same day.

Ken takes us inside the transition from marijuana to cocaine as South Florida entered the Cocaine Cowboys era. He discusses the price of a kilo in the early 1970s, moving cocaine in bulk, transporting suitcases filled with millions of dollars and the culture surrounding Fort Lauderdale and Miami nightlife—including the Mutiny Club, which he says inspired the Babylon Club in Scarface.

The operation finally came crashing down after Ken’s second arrest in 1992, when prosecutors charged him under RICO and accused him of running an ongoing criminal enterprise.

This episode covers:

1,000- to 2,000-pound marijuana loads

More than 1,000 kilos of cocaine

South Florida drug smuggling in the 1970s and 1980s

Offshore freighters carrying massive marijuana shipments

Cigarette boats and high-speed smuggling operations

Donnie Steinberg and the underground marijuana empire

Flying millions of dollars to the Cayman Islands

The rise of cocaine trafficking in South Florida

The Mutiny Club and its connection to Scarface

Federal investigations, RICO charges and Ken’s 1992 arrest

The money, danger and consequences of becoming a major drug trafficker

Ken Behr’s story offers a firsthand look at the real South Florida smuggling era that existed before the movies, documentaries and legends.

Watch Episode 77 of Honor Among Thieves Podcast now.

Subscribe for more true crime interviews, drug-trafficking stories, federal prison experiences, organized crime history, ex-con redemption stories and firsthand accounts from people who lived through America’s criminal underworld.

Chapters

00:00 Ken Behr’s South Florida Drug-Smuggling Story

04:13 Moving to South Florida During the 1970s Drug Boom

14:02 Flying Drug Money to the Cayman Islands and Running Cigarette Boats

22:04 Moving 1,000-Pound Loads and Entering the Cocaine Trade

30:23 Smuggling His First 600-Pound Marijuana Load

36:03 Armed Dealers, Failed Drug Deals and the Dangers of Smuggling

42:43 Home Invasions, Hidden Cocaine and South Florida Drug Violence

55:07 Racing Cars and Planning High-Risk Drug-Smuggling Missions

60:15 The Plan to Fly 300 Kilos of Cocaine From Colombia

70:54 Building a Secret Runway for a Cocaine-Smuggling Plane

78:04 Landing the Plane and Escaping With the Cocaine

82:04 Smuggling 40,000 Pounds From Canada and Getting Arrested

90:27 The Prison Advice That Changed Ken’s Life

95:41 Redemption, Regret and Taking Responsibility

📌 Have an unbelievable story? Apply to be a guest:

👉 https://www.honoramongthievespodcast.com/guest

Get Your Merch👇👇👇

https://shop.honoramongthievespodcast.com/products/the-world-is-mine-unisex-t-shirt

Become an Honor Among Thieves Patreon Member

Join The Underworld👇👇👇

https://www.patreon.com/cw/honoramongthieves?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

🔗 Links

📸 Nelson on Instagram

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

📸 Ken on Instagram

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

📸 Crime Nightly

https://www.instagram.com/crimenightly?igsh=MWtkbDIya3FiaGZwZw==

https://onestepovertheline.com/

💎 Sponsors

Nord VPN

https://bit.ly/honorvpn

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What was Pooh Shiesty really like inside federal prison?

In Episode 76 of Honor Among Thieves Podcast, former USP Victorville correctional officer Gio Martini returns to give a firsthand account of Pooh Shiesty’s time at one of the most dangerous federal prisons in California.

Gio says he was working at USP Victorville while Pooh Shiesty was housed there and witnessed how the rapper carried himself around staff and inmates. He describes Pooh as quiet when he first entered the penitentiary and explains how celebrity status, prison politics and personal reputation can quickly change once someone enters a high-security federal prison.

Gio also makes several explosive claims about Pooh Shiesty’s incarceration, including that he pushed a wheelchair for a known BMF associate, which Gio interprets as evidence that Pooh was paying for protection. He explains how protection arrangements operate inside prison, why inmates may align themselves with powerful figures and what it means when someone refuses to return to the general population.

The conversation also covers:

Pooh Shiesty’s arrival at USP Victorville

His alleged connection to a BMF associate

Claims that he was paying for prison protection

A failed drug test and time spent in the SHU

Protective custody and “checking in”

Prison gangs, racial politics and inmate reputation

Gio disputing Pooh Shiesty’s reported story about a deadly race riot

Gucci Mane, the alleged robbery controversy and Pooh’s decisions after release

What celebrity rappers face inside a maximum-security federal prison

The difference between a public image and surviving inside the penitentiary

Gio also explains why he believes Pooh’s alleged race-riot story does not match what actually happened at Victorville. According to Gio, an incident involving multiple deaths at such a notorious federal prison would have generated immediate media attention and institutional fallout.

This episode offers a rare perspective from someone who says he interacted with Pooh Shiesty inside the federal prison system and understood the politics surrounding his incarceration.

Was Pooh Shiesty protected inside USP Victorville? Did he voluntarily remain in protective custody? And how much of his public prison story matches what staff and inmates reportedly witnessed?

Subscribe for more firsthand stories about federal prison, organized crime, drug trafficking, prison gangs, celebrity inmates and redemption.

Chapters

00:00 Former USP Victorville Guard Reveals What Pooh Shiesty Was Really Like

05:20 Pooh Shiesty’s Alleged BMF Protection and Protective Custody

10:40 Pooh Shiesty on the Prison Yard, Basketball and Suicide Watch

16:00 Federal Gun Charges and Why Rappers Keep Returning to Prison

21:30 Gio Disputes Pooh Shiesty’s Alleged USP Victorville Race Riot Story

27:00 Could Diddy and R. Kelly Survive at USP Victorville?

32:30 Sex Offenders, Prison Paperwork and Inmate Politics

38:00 Why Pooh Shiesty Refused to Return to General Population

43:30 Rap Culture, Snitching and the Criminals Young People Idolize

49:10 Why Society Romanticizes Gangsters, Outlaws and Street Legends

📌 Have an unbelievable story? Apply to be a guest:

👉 https://www.honoramongthievespodcast.com/guest

Get Your Merch👇👇👇

https://shop.honoramongthievespodcast.com/products/the-world-is-mine-unisex-t-shirt

Become an Honor Among Thieves Patreon Member

Join The Underworld👇👇👇

https://www.patreon.com/cw/honoramongthieves?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

🔗 Links

📸 Nelson on Instagram

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

📸 Gio on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/giothelegend89/

💎 Sponsors

Nord VPN

https://bit.ly/honorvpn

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices