What if the people we locked away for drug crimes were running million-dollar trafficking empires—from behind bars?

In this explosive episode, we sit down with Benjamin Freedland—once a mid-level trafficker moving hundreds of pounds of marijuana and deeply embedded in a cartel’s East Coast operation.

After flipping and working undercover with the FBI, DEA, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Freedland now trains law enforcement on how to recruit and manage high-level informants.But this story isn't about redemption—it’s a chilling look at the new face of the fentanyl crisis. 
Freedland reveals how America’s correctional system has become a breeding ground for synthetic drugs and organized crime.

This episode will challenge everything you think you know about law enforcement, cooperation, and the systemic failures that keep the opioid epidemic alive.

We discuss:

• Prisons are ground zero for synthetic drug trafficking, especially K2 and fentanyl-laced substances.
• Old-school “tough cop” methods backfire when recruiting reliable informants—respect wins.
• The criminal justice system needs a radical overhaul to disrupt the fentanyl pipeline—starting with how we train officers.

While overdose deaths climb and homelessness surges, billions in taxpayer dollars disappear into broken systems and half-hearted solutions. And beneath it all, an industrial-sized drug economy thrives: unseen, unchallenged, and politically inconvenient.

In this searing episode of The Opioid Matrix, Scott Silverman, CEO and Founder at Confidential Recovery, comes back to the show to dissect alongside Michael Brown the fentanyl-fueled collapse happening in plain sight.

We dive into:

• How fentanyl has turned homelessness into an economic loop no one’s breaking
• Implementing harm reduction strategies without treatment or housing infrastructure
• The cartel tactics reshaping distribution into thousands of small, undetectable channels

This episode doesn’t pull punches. It asks what too many refuse to: What if we’re letting fentanyl win because it’s just easier that way?

The U.S. dismantled Colombia’s Cali Cartel with strategy, buy-in, and force. What are we doing wrong now that fentanyl is winning in the U.S.?

Former DEA agent Chris Feistl helped take down one of history’s most powerful cartels—but now he’s watching history repeat itself. 

In this episode, he and Michael Brown draw a straight line from Colombia’s bloody narco-wars to the synthetic opioid crisis destroying American communities. From political division and foreign inaction to fractured law enforcement strategy, the U.S. is reliving the past, without the resolve to win. 

We also discuss:

• How the U.S. let the fentanyl threat evolve into a Hydra
• Why Mexico and China are today’s Colombia
• What America lost when it stopped doing what worked
• How decriminalization and division cripple federal action
• What it would take to end the crisis—for real

Sealing borders won’t resolve the fentanyl crisis unless we rethink how domestic trafficking can be disrupted. 

In this episode, we welcome back Margarito “Jay” Flores Jr.—a former Sinaloa cartel kingpin turned law enforcement educator—to dive deeper into the operations behind the illicit fentanyl trade that’s taken thousands of U.S. lives each year. With cartels now designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, the U.S. is taking a harder stance, but Jay and Michael explore if policy is enough if we don’t also confront the networks operating in our own neighborhoods. 

We also discuss:

• Why labeling cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations could shift the legal landscape of drug enforcement in America.
• How fentanyl reaches U.S. communities, and why most traffickers don’t look like the stereotype.
• The importance of treating domestic distribution networks with the same urgency as international ones.
• Why prevention, education, and empathy must be part of any long-term solution to the opioid crisis.

In this episode, Michael Brown sits down with Dr. Gary Latson, a licensed anesthesiologist and father who lost his son to a fentanyl-laced substance. Dr. Latson brings over four decades of medical experience and shares the difference between medical fentanyl and the illicit version flooding American streets—and why this distinction can mean life or death.

We discuss:

• The dangers of illicit fentanyl from a medical perspective.
• The biology of opioid addiction and genetic vulnerability.
• The growing danger of fentanyl-stimulant combos.
• The role of physicians, policymakers, and parents in the opioid crisis.

In this gripping episode, we sit down with former DEA Special Agent and author Leo Silva to discuss the evolving landscape of the illicit drug trade and the growing sophistication of cartel operations. Drawing from his experiences detailed in Reign of Terror, Silva provides a firsthand account of how organizations like Los Zetas have transformed from traditional drug traffickers into highly organized, militarized criminal enterprises.

We explore the new challenges law enforcement faces, including the cartels' use of advanced technology, encrypted communications, and financial networks that rival those of legitimate corporations. Silva also sheds light on the increasing dangers posed by synthetic drugs like fentanyl, the deep-rooted corruption that enables these networks to thrive, and the shifting alliances that make combating them even more complex.

Throughout the discussion, Silva shares powerful stories of resilience, the personal toll of fighting the war on drugs, and what steps must be taken to curb the growing influence of cartels.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How the Zetas cartel pioneered a new level of brutality and control
• Why Mexico’s war on drugs has failed—and how it impacts the U.S.
• The role China plays in fueling the fentanyl crisis
• How law enforcement can fight back using anti-terror tactics
• What every American should know about how fentanyl gets into our streets

You can learn more about Agent Leo Silva’s work in his book “Reign of Terror.”

If you think your child is safe, think again. Fentanyl isn’t in counterfeit pills anymore—it’s laced into marijuana, hidden in vape pens, and disguised in party drugs. No one is immune.

In our first episode of the year, host Michael Brown speaks with Paula Young, a mother who turned grief into action after her son, Andrew, unknowingly consumed fentanyl-laced marijuana and lost his life.

They reveal how cartels are evolving their tactics, why social media is fueling the crisis, and the urgent policy battles needed to fight fentanyl—an issue beyond party lines. Paula also shares the emotional journey behind Andrew’s Law, a legislative push to make fentanyl education mandatory in schools nationwide.

We also discuss:

• How Andrew’s story exposes the hidden dangers of trusting "safe" sources.
• Why current drug laws fail to hold fentanyl dealers accountable.
• The importance of bipartisan action to tackle the fentanyl crisis effectively.

For more information about Achieve Greatness, visit AchieveGreatness88.org or contact Paula at +1 774-417-7972.

Illicit fentanyl has transformed the U.S. drug crisis into a national emergency that affects all ages, incomes, and communities. Despite the staggering toll. Where is the policy change?

In this episode, we sit down with award-winning journalist and filmmaker Steffan Tubbs to uncover the harrowing truths behind America’s fentanyl epidemic, as seen in his documentary Devastated: Colorado’s Fentanyl Disaster. He examines the intersection of decriminalization policies, cartel operations, and societal complacency that have allowed this crisis to grow unchecked, and calls us to take action to tackle the crisis.

Listeners will learn:

• Why fentanyl deaths continue to rise in states like Colorado despite national trends leveling off.
• How cartels exploit America’s addiction crisis and the policy gaps that enable them.
• Why parents, policymakers, and the media need to start having real, uncomfortable conversations.
• What solutions could help reverse the trajectory of this crisis.

In the heart of America’s fentanyl crisis, one county is doing what many thought impossible—bringing overdose rates down. 

In this episode we are joined by Commander Tom Fallon, of Hamilton County’s Heroin Task Force, to discuss how local law enforcement, through strategic partnerships and innovative community outreach, has succeeded in reducing fentanyl overdoses in the county.  Commander Fallon also reveals that the real war is fought far from the public eye—with mothers who’ve lost their children, communities on the brink, and doctors who unknowingly set the stage for addiction.

We also discuss:

• How community-centric policing builds trust to drive effective intervention in Hamilton County’s fentanyl crisis.
• Why tackling the Dark Web’s role in trafficking is vital as cartels use digital channels to spread fentanyl, pushing law enforcement to adapt.
• The importance of Narcan access and addiction education in saving lives and reshaping public attitudes on addiction.
• The impact of a new generation of officers blending empathy with enforcement for sustainable change in communities.

Each person who struggles with drug addiction has a unique story. And regardless of how they got there, they are all humans and deserve to be treated with empathy. 

In this episode, we are joined by Dennis Lowe, Commander of the South Central Ohio Major Crimes Unit, who has spent 40 years in law enforcement and is leading a unique model of community-driven policing. Commander Lowe and Michael Brown discuss the challenges associated with transitioning towards a more empathetic law enforcement approach, without abandoning strict measures, and building trust around state’s institutions. 

We also discuss: 

• How the FORT Project helps reduce recidivism and foster long-term recovery by addressing the root causes of substance use.
• Why a balanced approach of empathy and enforcement can create lasting change in communities facing drug crises.
• The role of cultural sensitivity education in police officers to engage diverse communities affected by the opioid crisis.