The Connect- with Johnny Mitchell

In this episode, Johnny sits down with Richie Ng, a former member of the Ghost Shadows gang who shares one of the most intense prison stories ever told on the show. At just 16 years old, Richie took a life and was thrown into the chaos of Rikers Island during one of the most violent eras in New York history. What followed was decades of gang politics, stabbings, solitary confinement, and survival...

What starts as a childhood in East Los Angeles turns into a life shaped by gangs, prison, and violence. In this raw and unfiltered interview, a former Mexican Mafia member—Mundo—breaks down his journey from rebellion and low self-esteem to becoming deeply embedded in one of the most feared prison organizations in the United States. He shares firsthand stories about growing up in gang-infested neig...

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...

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 cha...

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 di...

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...

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 ong...

From the inside of Texas maximum-security prisons to the heights of a multi-million dollar drug empire, this is the story of Tim Griesheimer — a man who lived both sides of chaos and control. After serving time as a gang member, Tim walked out of prison with a plan… but not the one most would expect. Within months, he was deeply embedded in the underground drug economy, moving massive quantities o...

The Dominican Republic has quietly become one of the most important drug trafficking hubs in the world. In this episode, former kingpin Adam Diaz reveals how the island transformed into a critical bridge for cocaine moving from South America to the United States and Europe. Through firsthand accounts, he explains the systems behind modern smuggling—how drugs are transported, repackaged, and moved...

Ed Calderon returns to break down the killing of El Mencho, the chaos that followed across Mexico, and why this may have been far more than a cartel raid. This video is #sponsored by Current. Get Current! Sign up at https://current.com/johnnymitchell?utm_source=inf&utm_campaign=johnnymitchell&utm_adgroup=Johnny_Mitchell_3_2026 and use MY promo code JOHNNYMITCHELL to get $50! and unlock tools like...

Johnny sits down with “El Diablo,” an active high-ranking member of the Sinaloa cartel, for a rare and intense conversation about the realities of the modern drug trade. El Diablo talks about how he got started at just 14 years old, how cartel loyalty works, the logistics of moving cocaine from Colombia through Mexico and into the United States, and why he believes staying low-key kept him out of...

Former drug kingpin George Day was sentenced to one of the harshest punishments imaginable: life in federal prison plus 90 years. What followed was nearly two decades inside some of the toughest federal prisons in America — fighting appeals, navigating prison politics, and trying to survive a sentence that was supposed to mean he would die behind bars. In this episode, George tells the unbelievabl...

Johnny sits down with Tim Griesheimer to hear one of the wildest crime stories to ever come out of Texas. What started as a teenager running burglaries quickly turned into a seven-year journey through some of the toughest prisons in the state. Along the way, Tim navigated race politics, brutal jail fights, and the chaos of prison life — eventually becoming a shot caller for the 59 Bounty Hunter Bl...

From Olympic snowboarder to one of the biggest cocaine traffickers in North American history — this is the unbelievable story of Ryan Wedding. In this episode, Johnny breaks down how a privileged Canadian athlete went from chasing gold medals to running a billion-dollar cocaine empire alongside some of the most powerful cartels in the world. You’ll hear how Wedding built a massive trafficking netw...

Christian Carmona grew up in Medellín’s infamous Barrio Antioquia—an area known for prostitution, gambling, and later, cocaine. In this episode, Christian tells the inside story of a Colombian cocaine dynasty that quietly expanded from Medellín to Miami… and even Portland, Oregon. Raised “Americanized” in the suburbs, Christian didn’t learn the truth about his father’s criminal enterprise until fe...

In this jaw-dropping episode , we sit down with George Day — one of the most prolific yet largely unknown drug kingpins in American history. Raised in Washington, DC, George was literally born into the drug trade. By age six, he was traveling across the border with his father, helping smuggle hundreds of pounds of marijuana hidden inside a Winnebago. As he grew older, his life spiraled deeper into...

40 years inside the Hells Angels. Federal murder conspiracy charges. Bombings, informants, and a courtroom showdown with the U.S. government. In this raw, unfiltered interview, longtime Ventura Hells Angels leader George Christie tells the inside story of outlaw biker life — from the brotherhood and early motorcycle culture to violent club wars, federal investigations, and the high-stakes legal ba...

In this episode Houston legend Mike D — the man many call the original King of Lean — unpacks the true story behind codeine culture in the American South. Before “lean” was a mainstream rap flex… before double cups and purple memes… there was a street-level hustle that changed Houston forever. Mike D breaks down how promethazine with codeine went from a quiet substitute for heroin to a full-blown...

In this raw and unforgettable episode, Virginia street legend Pretty Tony sits down to tell his life story — from being introduced to crack at a young age, to becoming one of the most prolific cocaine cooks in Virginia history, to growing up alongside future rap superstars like Pharrell and the Clipse. Pretty Tony breaks down how he perfected the infamous “mix” that made him the go-to hood chemist...

Gary Dodson — better known as “Bumper” — tells the uncensored story of his transformation from a violent white supremacist skinhead and federal prison gang member to a man who ultimately walked away from hate and extremism. Raised in a chaotic, drug-filled household in rural California, Bumper gravitated toward gangs, violence, and racist ideology at a young age. What began as rebellion turned int...

In this raw, unfiltered conversation, Pimpin Ken, a former high-level pimp from Chicago and Milwaukee, breaks down the psychology, power dynamics, and realities of the pimping game during its peak in the 1970s–1990s. Ken speaks candidly about how he entered the life as a teenager, the culture of pimping that existed at the time, and how manipulation, control, and desensitization became central to...

In this episode, a former drug trafficker "Fernando" breaks down how crystal meth from Mexico’s most violent region flooded small-town America — and how he lived at the center of it. Raised in a multi-generation trafficking family tied to Michoacán, Fernando reveals how meth labs in Mexico, tight-knit immigrant networks, and overlooked U.S. towns created one of the most devastating drug pipelines...

In this episode, Johnny sits down with Luis “Spider” Gutierrez, a longtime Northern California gang figure and former leader within the Norteño structure, to tell one of the most intense and unfiltered prison stories ever shared on the podcast. Raised in Salinas, California—one of the most gang-impacted cities in the state—Spider was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to decades in Califo...

OG Gigavelli is a certified Miami original — born into violence, shaped by the streets, and forged in some of the most brutal prisons in America. OG breaks down a side of Miami history almost never discussed: the Black and Islander underworld that operated alongside — and often beneath — the Cocaine Cowboys era. From Liberty City and Brownsville to federal penitentiaries and near-death prison riot...

In this explosive episode of The Connect, Johnny sits down with Danesa White, better known as Bella Barcode — a former Oakland hustler who built a multi-million-dollar fraud and jewelry embezzlement operation before the age of 21. Raised in the heart of the Bay Area hustle, Danesa breaks down how she went from boosting clothes as a teenager to running sophisticated bank fraud, credit card approval...