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Owen Hansen
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Podcast Host 1
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Podcast Host 2
Let'S get on the podcast.
Podcast Host 1
All right, guys, we have a very.
Podcast Host 2
Very interesting episode today. Our friend Owen Hansen here on the pod.
Podcast Host 1
One of the craziest stories I've ever heard. If you guys haven't seen the documentary.
Podcast Host 2
Cocaine Quarterback, you gotta check it out. But dude, welcome to the Folsom Podcast. We're happy to have you listen to some crazy. I feel like we're gonna get along really well too. I feel like we have a lot in common.
Owen Hansen
Yeah, I think we do a little bit besides like the drugs and gambling and.
Podcast Host 2
Right.
Owen Hansen
Pretty girls, right? You guys don't like pretty girls?
Podcast Host 2
Oh, we do. We do.
Owen Hansen
Hong Kong out here.
Podcast Host 2
We were just talking about Hong Kong's in Tijuana. Famous spot. How many times you've been there?
Owen Hansen
Dude, I can't say that on the. But listen, they know me by a first name basis. How's that?
Podcast Host 2
Really?
Owen Hansen
Yeah, they called me Don Owen.
Podcast Host 2
Damn, that's crazy. Yeah, your story's insane. When was like, when was the first time that you smuggled drugs into the country.
Owen Hansen
Yeah. You're supposed to smuggle them into other countries. And I ended up going down to Tijuana for the. The first time ever to get on some performance enhancing drugs. And I remember I just got cut from the volleyball team, and my coach told me, hey, you got to work on your vertical jump and your arm strength. And I said, all right, I'm going to get on some steroids. And I literally went down to the.
Podcast Host 2
Pharmacia and the pharmacy is in Mexico.
Owen Hansen
Are great, aren't they? You can get everything. Everything you get Xanax, you can get Adderall, everything. You can get steroids. And I went in there.
Podcast Host 2
I didn't know much about, like, what drugs were. Whenever I go to the pharmacy, it was steiny. He knows the difference between every single pill. He's like, no, this one will make you, like, no anxiety, but a little more relaxed.
Podcast Host 1
This one will, like, tingle your elbows.
Owen Hansen
Yeah, you big soma gu.
Podcast Host 3
Is that the muscle relaxers?
Owen Hansen
Yeah. Yeah. Well, those are valiums. Yeah, right? You just pop those like tic tacs.
Podcast Host 3
Yeah.
Owen Hansen
But I. I literally went down there with this list. I got this list from this bodybuilder at Gold's Gym. And he said, get this, this, and this. And I went down there and I showed the lady the list. I was like, trying to speak Spanish to her, and I said, me llama Owen necessito has steroids. And she's looking at me and she's like, I speak English. I'm like, okay, well, let's get to this. And I literally told her what I needed, and she put everything in front of me, and I was like, okay. She put in, like, three vials of stanisol, which is a Windstrol. And then she put testosterone sustenance 250. And she put Anvar pills. And I'm like, holy, what am I gonna do with all these? And then she gave me a sandwich bag, and I took the sandwich bag and I'm dumping all these pills in, and I'm. I'm taking these vials of testosterone and I'm putting it in the sandwich bag. I'm like, how am I gonna get this back, right? I'm freaking out. And she gives me this medical tape, and I go in the bathroom and I'm wrapping it all in this. This sandwich bag, right? So I got like 400 tabs of steroids and three vials of testosterone, and I'm literally creating this banana, and I'm taping it up with medical tape. And I drop my drawers I'm in the bathroom and guys, I put it not in the hole, in the crack. And I pulled up my Saran, my, my, these spandex, right? And I go to my boy and he's like, dude, where did you put all the steroids? I said, if you don't see them, we're good. And literally I walked over to the, to Tijuana border where the United States meets. And I waited in line for like two hours, dude. Just waiting in the customs line to get back.
Podcast Host 2
Are you standing with the banana or.
Owen Hansen
I had the banana just in the crack, not the hole, standing.
Podcast Host 3
Cuz I feel like you didn't do.
Owen Hansen
That job your boy. You did.
Podcast Host 3
Do you tape it or you just clenched?
Owen Hansen
Clenched the whole time I'm holding it.
Podcast Host 3
Dude, that's way terrifying.
Owen Hansen
Just imagine a hot dog just holding it. And I was like, man, this thing's uncomfortable. And my buddy's like, dude, you're sweating. I was, I was a nervous, I was a nervous wreck. And he's like, dude, just, just be calm. And I get to the line, man, I haven't. I come from a good father. My dad made me 6pm curfew for my whole life. So I've never lied, I've never stole, I've never done anything illegal. And I get to the line and the U.S. customs officer goes, looks at my passport. He goes, Mr. Hansen, are you bringing anything back? And for the first time ever, I lied. I said, no, officer. I was just at Papas and Beer with my friend. I didn't tell him about Hong Kong. I said, I was just Papas and Beer with my friend. He goes, welcome back to America. And as soon as he said that, I literally, to this day, I get goosebumps. I crossed the border and I just literally smuggled 500 worth of performance enhancing steroids underneath my balls, right? And for the rest of my life, I chased that rush, man. Eventually working for the cartel, smuggling, getting tons of cocaine into Australia, Italy, Canada. And that's where it all begun right there.
Podcast Host 2
So once you get back in, you go back to school and then what happens?
Owen Hansen
I go back to school, I start taking the steroids. I blow up, get jacked. 240 pounds.
Podcast Host 2
Yeah.
Owen Hansen
6% body fat. And I walk on to the USC football team. 50 guys show up to the tryout. All, all Americans, College jc, All Americans. And I'm a volleyball player and I'm jacked.
They have me catching balls and I, I literally catch three out of five balls. They have me doing the vertical jump. Obviously I'm a volleyball player. I jump, like, 37 inches. And then they say, okay, run the 40. I run a 4, 6, 40, which is like, NFL combine. And then, like, all right, last. Last group, we're gonna go do the bench press. And no one knows I'm on steroids, but I go in there and I literally do 26 reps of 225, which is huge.
Podcast Host 2
That's crazy.
Owen Hansen
And I'm bouncing these. These plates off my chest, and people are like, holy, who is this guy? Coach Carroll's looking at me like, who the is.
Podcast Host 2
And was no one else on gear at that time?
Owen Hansen
No one even knew, you know, at the time, no one knew. They just think I'm just some specie.
Podcast Host 3
What year were you at this point?
Owen Hansen
This is my sophomore year in college, so I'm 19 years old. What was it like playing under Pete Carroll? Man, he's a legend, you know, playing. He's that guy that you. You go to practice. I tell people you go to practice because of Pete Carroll. You literally don't know what he's going to bring to the table. Like, he would bring Snoop Dogg in, like, one day. I remember. I'll never forget it. We're just sitting there, and all of a sudden they say, drop it like it's hot. Drop it like it's hot. And Snoop Dogg's coming with the mic, and. And Coach Carroll pulls off his T shirt, and they're doing a chest bump. I'm like, holy, this is a Snoop Dogg. That's right. Like, that's unheard of. Right? And he's got Denzel Washington, Shaquille o', Neal, Will Ferrell. They're all coming to our practices. You know, Will Ferrell's dressing out in pads and. And just. Coach Carol just brought the energy. He's a players coach.
Podcast Host 3
It's like Coach prime before Coach Prime.
Owen Hansen
Yeah.
Podcast Host 3
Coach prime was the man I always think about. Pete Carroll, because he got. I love him as a coach, but he kind of got away. Like, when USC was going through all the trouble with, like, Reggie Bush, he kind of snuck out of it and went to Seattle, and they never really talked about that.
Owen Hansen
But that was smart, right?
Podcast Host 3
No, he played it.
Owen Hansen
He played well. And he got paid.
Podcast Host 3
He got paid, and they didn't say one thing about it.
Owen Hansen
Yeah.
Podcast Host 3
Did you see all that going on, like, with the players? Because they're having these guys there, and.
Owen Hansen
Of course I saw. You know, Reggie and I were great friends. I was in his wedding. But, you know, I saw Reggie driving that S500 when he was a sophomore. Right. And back then that. There was no nil, so guys weren't getting paid.
Podcast Host 3
Right.
Owen Hansen
And so obviously we knew what was going on. You know, there's boosters that. That would give us nice things, and. And that's life. And. And you know what? At the end of the day, we. We should have got those things because now everyone's getting these things. You know, Caleb Williams made $9 million, is his last year playing at USC. So, yeah, at the end of the day, you know, I tip my hat to, you know, the. The organization that we were part of and the two Heisman Trophy winners I played for, played with, and, man, it was an awesome experience. Coach Carroll's a legend, no doubt.
Podcast Host 3
So you walked on and then walked on team. And what, you were tight end, wide receiver?
Owen Hansen
I was tight end. I was a backup tight end. I tell people I hadn't. I didn't belong on the field, no doubt. I was a volleyball player. I never played football in my life, but I. I literally juiced out of my mind. And I was £250 when I was playing, and I was just. Just a small.
Podcast Host 3
You don't think there was other guys out there in the locker room that were taking juice and. No, it was just not talked about.
Owen Hansen
Listen, we would take this, the sauce, but we would never take the sauce when we were playing. You know, we would take it on the off season. So we weren't taking it during season when we were winning national championships.
Podcast Host 2
Yeah.
Owen Hansen
So. So my argument is like, okay, what were we doing wrong? We were literally recovering our torn knees, our ACLs, and. And by the time season starts and when we tested, we tested negative. We weren't testing positive for steroids, otherwise we would have won national championships.
Podcast Host 3
So how to escalate from that to where you really got.
Podcast Host 2
You became the team plug, pretty much, right?
Owen Hansen
Dude, I was the man. I'm not going to joke. I literally, like, I. I came from this. The son of a construction worker. I came from nothing, right? I was like, how the am I going to survive at usc? This is. Everyone's got American Express, black cards, Mercedes Benz. I'm like, fuck, I'm going to just start literally pushing this stuff. And like, we talked about that. Pharmacy had everything, had Adderall, had Xanax. So I had these fraternity kids say, hey, Dr. O. Dog, do you have a way to keep us up for our finals? We need to study for. You know, I'm like, I'm going to prescribe you 30 milligrams of Adderall and I would literally go down to Tijuana and I'd buy like, a thousand Adderall for a dollar a piece. And I come back, I'm like, okay, $10. And then they're like, dude, we can't sleep. I said, two milligrams of Xanax, right? Like, okay. They're like, this guy's great, right? So I'd go down and get the Xanax. I'd buy them for, like, 50 cents and then sell them for $5. Everything was a thousand percent markup.
Podcast Host 3
That was my model. So did you use that same method of smuggling it back in? Because they had to escalate, right? Once you had to bring more in banana, remember? Every time.
Owen Hansen
Every time. But listen, the problem was this. I started getting so big on the steroids. One one summer, I was wearing a hoodie kind of like yours, right? And I put this hoodie on. It was 90 degrees. And they stopp me, and they. They said they started patting me and that they're starting patting me. I'm like, oh, they're gonna feel the banana, right? And they're patting me. And after that, I was like, okay, that's it. I'm no longer smuggling steroids. So I started bringing girls with me, and I'd have the girls put in their. Their G strings and their. And their tits, and they smuggle all the pills for me. I pay them 100 bucks, and I give them a night at Papas and Beer.
Podcast Host 2
How much were you making at. At that time in college, dude, Every week.
Owen Hansen
I was probably pulling, like, $5,000 a week. Wow. I started selling them coke. Like, I had friends from Northside Redondo, which is a gang from Redondo beach, where I was from. And they're, like, fronting me, like, eight ounces at a time at like 15 to $20 a gram. And I'm selling it to these fraternity kids for $60.
Podcast Host 2
So how'd you transition into, like, coke? Is it, like, people just started coming you, and people started asking you for everything, and then people are like, yo, we want blow, too.
Owen Hansen
They're like, can you get blow? Can you get ecstasy? I'm like, yeah, I got it all. Did you try the product? I love the product. What was the most amount of blow you've done one night? That's a good question. I think I've probably done an eight ball. All to yourself? Yeah, to myself. And that was my. My norm. Like, I tell people, if you have the bag, you got the girl, right? Right. Like, there's no, you're the man. If you got the bag. But now I realize, I say, fuck, I get out of prison, right? I did 10 years like I said. I said, what can I do.
To get the girls? I no longer can perform with the bag, right? I'm a convicted felon. So now it's like protein ice cream, right? And you got a sweater.
Podcast Host 3
You got a sweater vest.
Owen Hansen
Did you like that? Yeah, I just came from a golf event. You got a good look.
Podcast Host 2
The drip is nice, right now.
Owen Hansen
You would never feel that I was an international drug kingpin, right, if you saw me.
Podcast Host 2
How does it escalate from there? You're in college.
Owen Hansen
It's snowballs. No pun intended, right? My, my friends go to the NFL. Everyone's making these 20 million dollar contracts. And I have all my fraternity brothers now are getting, getting paid big money. And I tell people it's crazy because I got a. Literally, I got a job wearing my USC national championship ring, right? I didn't bring it today, but I got this job making six figures. I was like, okay, this is it. I'm in real estate. I left everything behind. I took all the drugs and I said, you know what? That's done. I kept up with the Joneses and now it's time to sell some real estate. And literally the real estate market was great, right? In 2007, the recess hits and I start scrambling. I'm like, what am I going to do? I lost my job and I literally get into international book making, which is a bookie. And this is before it became legal. So I become a, a bookie for all my, my friends that are playing in the NFL, all my fraternity brothers that are now making a million dollars a year. And it, it snowballs. No, no pun intended. I start booking bets for one of the biggest cartels in the world. I'm not going to say it because if I said it, I'd probably be dead. And I start booking bets for the lieutenant of this cartel. The guy's losing 250, 000 a week, and every week he's bringing duffel bags.
Podcast Host 2
How much cash did you have at that time to be able to be the bookie for like rich guys like that?
Owen Hansen
So at the time, I was probably worth maybe 2 million and I was 23 years old. Wow. Which is, you know, I'm just taking bets and I'm just hoping they lose, right? Because if they crack me, I'm. Yeah, but I'm taking risk. I'm gambling. You guys probably know, gambling you win and you losing I'm just hoping these guys keep losing.
Podcast Host 2
Yeah. What was the lieutenant, the cartel lieutenant firing on?
Owen Hansen
You wouldn't believe it. Soccer.
Podcast Host 2
Well, that's what I was gonna say.
Owen Hansen
Yeah. Soccer. Yeah. And they love the Raiders over there. I don't know what it is. The cartel loves the Raiders. And what happened was he lost 251week. The second week he lost 260. The third week, 240. It averaged out to minus 750,000 in three weeks. On, on the week four, he finally cracked me. He hit the. He had a five team parlay and he d.
Dude, he had a five team parlay and I was hoping he hit because I like, I wanted to show him, like, hey, I want to pay you, right?
Podcast Host 3
Yeah.
Owen Hansen
As a bookie, you want to pay your customers.
Podcast Host 2
You never think about how the bookie sweats, right?
Owen Hansen
Yeah.
Dude, I, I just showed up.
Podcast Host 3
To pay every time. Like, that's pretty. You gotta respect that.
Podcast Host 2
That's an honorable cartel.
Owen Hansen
When you have. You don't know he's cartel, right? I'm thinking he's some whale. In, in week four, he finally is about to hit. I call his agent, which is a sub bookie. I go, dude, this guy's gonna hit for 260, 000. I said, get his duffel bag. I want to prepare the money. I said at 8am on Monday morning. I said, I need you guys. I drop it off. He's like, why? Why am I to do that? I said, if you drop it off at 8am the guy's going to know we're the real deal. Yeah, that was the biggest mistake of my life. He dropped it off at 8am he hit for 260,000. A five team parlay. He had the Raiders, they covered at 8am on Monday. We paid him.
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And they brought it to me the next day on Tuesday. And the, the sub agent says, hey, this is, this is from my, my client that's been losing all this money. He likes the way you do business. So I get this encrypted phone. It's a BlackBerry. You Guys probably don't know what about.
Podcast Host 2
No, we had blackberries.
Owen Hansen
You had black. Okay.
Podcast Host 2
BBM and okay.
Owen Hansen
Those are the days. Yeah. So I get this, this BlackBerry, right? I'm like, okay, what am I supposed to do? He's like, it has no microphone, it has no camera, it has no gps. He says there's three passwords to get in. I'm literally like. He gives me this paper, I'm typing in the passwords, and finally on the third password, it says wedo, which means white boy in Spanish. I like the way you do business.
I'm like, okay, great. Anything you need, right? Like this is a whale. Like, you don't get this very often. And I don't know what he does.
Podcast Host 3
Remember that loses.
Owen Hansen
Yeah, right. That's paying, right? That's unheard of in this business.
I said, anything you need. And at this point, I'm just going to call him jefe, right? I said, Mr. Jefe, anything you need, I got you.
And he says, I like the way you do business. I know you're a bookie. I said, I know bookies have cash in the United States. I'm like, okay, yeah, yeah, whatever you need, right? I'm just, I'm trying to treat this guy like a whale VIP customer. He says, I would like you to drop off a hundred thousand for me in San Diego. He says, if you drop off 100,000, I'm going to pay you 10% the next day. I'm like, this is a no brainer, right? I went to USC. This is 10% in a day. Who you guys would do that?
Podcast Host 2
Right, right.
Owen Hansen
I drop off 100,000 at a stash house. A stash house is where they keep the drugs or the money, where I. Right, I drop off the 100 grand. He goes, great work. Where do you want the 110,000? 10%. So I literally had 110,000 wired to my office in Costa Rica where I run the sports betting. And this thing snowballs. He goes, okay, do 100,000 North Carolina, 100,000 in Florida. I'm just dropping off cash. Literally, guys, I have cash throughout the United States because I'm a bookie. I'm getting paid 10% a day. Like just a drop off cash. This is a no brainer. That's, that's. Do the math. 300% a month. Like, who does that?
Podcast Host 2
That's crazy, right?
Podcast Host 1
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Podcast Host 2
How are the stash houses? When you would pull, you would personally drop it off?
Owen Hansen
No, I had people that work for me, but they're like, dude, do you know who was over there? I'm like, what do you mean? Like, dude, these serious people, right? Like, I. I don't want to know.
Podcast Host 2
Ye.
Owen Hansen
And I was like, okay. And then one day, I remember. I'll never forget this day. He says, okay, I need you. This is where I knew this is going to go bad. He says, I need you to pick up a million dollars in El Paso. No, no, it was Brownsville, Texas. I'm like, a million dollars? I'm doing the math. 10, right? I'm 25 years old. That's 100 grand, right? Okay, this is math 101. This is why I went to USC, right? 100 grand in a day, like, no problem. He goes, this is rival territory, and we can't be there. Okay? And then this is where I knew rival. Like, okay, this guy's in organized crime. I call my buddy Tank, who's a Avalon Crip. He says, I'm going to put together a. A UFC fighter, and we have two guys go with us on this. This private chat. I order a. A turbo prop. It's first time I've ever flown private. I pay him $2,500 an hour and deal, right? This is back in 2011, right? And I'm like, okay, I'm doing the math. Host 2500 an hour, because that's 5,000. It's gonna be $10,000 there and 10,000 back. So I'm in at 20 grand. And like, okay, I'm gonna pay this crip and this UFC fighter two grand each. That's four. Like, dude, I'm in at 24 grand. Like, this is a no brainer. I'm gonna make $76,000 in eight hours. Let's run it, right? And we. We literally pick up this cash in Brownsville, Texas. There's a gardener that shows up with a F1.
And he gives me the stuffle bag. He says, este para el jefe. This is from the boss. It's a million dollars. I get on the plane, I'm freaking out, man. I'm like, this is. This is cartel money. Now I know. Now I'm like, I'm freaking out. I told the pilot, let's get the out of here. We land in Torrance Airport. It's a private airport. And I tell El Jefe on the encrypted phone, hey, I'm in Torrance. Where do you want me to drop it? He says, take your hundred thousand dollars commission and drop off 900,000 in Riverside, California.
I drop off the 900, collect my 100. I pay everyone out. I'm profiting 76 grand. I'm like, okay, this is fun, man.
And then the million dollar question. He says.
What you're doing in the U.S. i would like you to do in Australia. He says, I'm gonna pay you a million dollars a day.
Podcast Host 2
What? Because they love blow over there, dude.
Owen Hansen
Dude, they love it. You been there. They could love it. Yeah. They call it the rack, huh?
Podcast Host 2
They love it, dude.
Owen Hansen
They Love it.
Podcast Host 2
Yeah.
Owen Hansen
300 a gram.
Podcast Host 2
Australians love cocaine.
Podcast Host 3
They call it the packet.
Owen Hansen
They call it the rack. Back in the early 2000s, the rack. They're like, hey, let's get some of the rack. It's been cut like three times by the time they've done it. So I was bringing Pier, like, it's coming from Columbia. And so I said, a million dollars a day. I'm thinking, okay, I'm that son of a construction worker. Million dollars a day. I'm 26 years old. I'm like, okay, let's run it. And I literally get in Australia and I put together this team, and I got a guy that I'm going to give it to, and he's going to distribute it. He's this international Drug kingpin.
Podcast Host 2
What city did you go to in Australia?
Owen Hansen
Sydney. I was in.
Podcast Host 2
Hottest chips, too, right?
Owen Hansen
Are they. They love us. They love Americans, Huh? Gold Coast. I haven't been. I. I went to Gold Coast. Melbourne. I went one time. I went to.
Podcast Host 2
I actually don't understand how they're.
Owen Hansen
There's some Melbourne. They're actually. And so sexy, huh?
Podcast Host 2
Yeah. It's insane, dude.
Owen Hansen
And they love Americans, huh? If you have the rack, the bag, dude, it's over. Girls in Australia love the rack. Yeah. So you just sniff it right off your dick.
Right? Dude, I remember just lining up big lines, and it's just, oh, my God, these Australians are awesome. That sounds my type of girl.
Podcast Host 2
Yeah.
Owen Hansen
So I literally would. Would. Would get to Australia, and I'm like, how am I going to distribute it this? And I. I literally. I. Dude, I had to use my network from usc, and I. I literally went and found this baseball player that told me his dad. No, not his dad. His brother was in the weed business. I said, okay, we perfect. International weed business. I literally used my Rolodex. I went to this. This baseball player that was at Se. And he said, dude, you got to talk to my brother. I go to his brother in San Diego. He goes, dude, I'm in the weed business. I'm not in the coke business. But you got to meet this Italian. He worked for the Luc Casey family. The little Casey, the mob, right? I go meet this Italian. I start talking business. He goes, no, no, no. You're not talking to me in the US about anything illegal. He says, I've been indicted. I've been arrested. I don't talk about this in the US and he. He says, if you want to come to me and talk to me about business, he says, meet me in Naples, Italy. Remember? A million dollars a day. That's all I'm thinking. I said it. Let's fly to Naples. So I go to meet him. He's got this huge compound, literally winery, villas, two villas. And we're in Naples, Italy, and I meet this smelly Italian. I give him a Italian kiss on each side. And the guy stinks. Reeks, right? I'm holding my breath, and he's like, telling me, listen, what are you here for? I break it down to him. I said, dude, I got cocaine in Australia. He goes, you're out of your mind. He says, no one has cocaine in Australia. I said, dude, I got a cartel member that's been gambling with me. He tells me, as a ton of cocaine in Australia. You go goes, stop. Wasting my time, right? He says, you go to Australia, and when you see the Australia with your own eyes, when you see the cocaine, he says, then call me. He says, stop wasting my time. Get up. Get out of my country, dude. I was humiliated. 26 years old, and I'm like.
So I tell this cartel boss, I'm like, hey, I got someone to buy this cocaine. I lied to him. He says, okay, well, let's get to Australia. So I fly to Australia.
I'm in Sydney now, Darling Harbor. And now I gotta lie to the Italian. I tell the Italian I have already given him an encrypted phone. And I tell him, hey, bro, I just saw the cocaine. You got to get over here. I lied to him. I didn't see it. So he flies over. Now I'm playing the cartel boss. I'm like, hey, I'm ready to go, right? And he goes, okay, go to the Four Seasons Hotel. He says, as soon as you get a room, let me know the room number. I get to this room at the Four Seasons. I think it's 4:28. And I. I got a room for that. We'll call him Uncle Louie the Italian, right? 426, I believe he was. We put him in the room, and I tell. We'll call him El Jefe, the cartel boss. I said, el Jefe. I'm in room 428. He says, Give me 30 minutes. 30 minutes. Comes this guy, knocks on the door. He's in a DHL outfit, and he brings me a package. I'm freaking out. Like, what is this? I'm knocking on the door. I'm telling the guy next door, this Uncle Louie. I'm like, hey, Uncle Louie, get over here. Anything over two and a half kilos in Australia is a life sentence. So I'm freaking out.
Podcast Host 3
Oh, dude. Have you ever seen abroad? Have you seen that?
Owen Hansen
Oh, yeah, of course.
Podcast Host 3
The most terrifying thing I've ever seen.
Owen Hansen
Yes.
Podcast Host 3
When you get. When you smuggle internationally, they put you in dirt cells, it's over. For your life.
Owen Hansen
Yeah, a life sentence. Sentence for two and a half kilos. And you actually do, like, two years on two kilos. So I'm telling uncle Louie, get the. Over here. I got this package. He comes over. We literally cut this package open, and there's 10 kilos of cocaine. I'm like, holy. He didn't believe me.
Podcast Host 2
Did you sample it or not?
Owen Hansen
Hang on. Uncle Louie cuts it open with a knife. It's just like the movies. And he does a. He goes, holy, nephew. He says, you Weren't lying. He says, this is pure cocaine. He said, this must have came from Colombia or Peru. Thirty minutes later, he comes back with a million dollars in cash for me. Gives me a suitcase. A million dollars. He had a suitcase for himself. 500,000. So he made 500,000. 50 grand a kilo. I made 100 grand a kilo. El Hefe had a deal with me. Anything I made was half. So I made half a million dollars on the test run. Two hours of work, right?
Podcast Host 3
Crazy.
Owen Hansen
The Italian goes, okay, my people are asking, when can you get me more? I'm on the encrypted phone. I said, el jefe, when can we get more? He goes, tomorrow, we're going to have 20 kilos dropped off. 20 kilos gets dropped off. $2 million dropped off within 20 minutes. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 20 kilos. Take Saturdays and Sundays off. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. We're getting a million dollars each profit. I'm making a million dollars a day.
Podcast Host 2
Yeah. What are you doing with the cash at the time?
Owen Hansen
Time. I'm going back to my apartment in Darling Harbor. We're literally sitting in this.
Podcast Host 2
Near Sydney.
Owen Hansen
Yeah, Darling Sydney. It's off of George Street. Georgian, Kent. And I'm literally in this studio apartment. Probably is the size of this hotel room. I'm like, what am I gonna do, right? I'm literally sitting on this bed. I start putting the money in the dishwasher, the cabinets, the microwave, the attic. I'm freaking out. I'm like, I'm sitting on, like, $10 million. I'm like, what am I gonna do?
Podcast Host 3
So when did the paranoia start to kick in there?
Owen Hansen
So I. I literally have to do with this blow and Xanax and wine. I'm like, okay, I'm telling el jefe, okay, I've got 10 million now, large.
Podcast Host 3
You try to get out.
Owen Hansen
I'm like, hey, when are your guys gonna pick it up? Oh, right. That's what I'm asking. He says, widow, remember, you're making a million dollars a day. That's your job. I'm like, what do you mean it's my job? Like, how am I gonna get it out of this country? I've never been to Australia. Australia. He's like, that's what I hired you for. So now I got to figure out a way to launder the money from Australia to the U.S. i'm like, I'm paranoid now.
Podcast Host 3
When you got to that 10 million, was that where you could be like, okay, I'm done with this?
Owen Hansen
No, no, I had. I had a Ton of cocaine to move for him. A ton of cocaine for you guys that don't know is a thousand kilos.
I've only moved maybe, you know, close to 3, 400 kilos for him. Oh, yeah. So I'm literally panicking now. What's the most intense situation you have to navigate personally, would you say that was. Eventually, I started laundering this. This money. And I had a gambler, a guy that was a blackjack player. He lost. He. He basically came. He says, I'm gonna do it for 25. This is how he did it. He says, I'm gonna come to the casino in Australia. I'm a whale from Vegas. I'm gonna play blackjack. And I'm gonna tell him, hey, I'm not feeling it. Okay? I said, what are you going to charge me for that? He goes, I'm going to charge you 25% commission. Whatever I launder. I'm like, okay, bet. I shake his hand. He comes to the Sydney. I give him $1.5 million in a suitcase, and he starts gambling on the. On the blackjack table in Sydney, Australia. He tells the blackjack dealer, hey, I'm not feeling it. And literally, he's already a high roller. So they already said, okay, Mr. Ciproni, what do you want to do? They're like, give me a check. So he gives him a check for 1.5 million. So now he takes that check of 1.5 million and he flies back to Las Vegas, where he's his high roller. He goes to Vegas. The red carpet's out. I said, what? How do you want this check? He's like, give me cash, give me chips. Within 24 hours, this guy gave me $1.5 million minus his 25 commission. Like, okay, this guy's the man.
Podcast Host 2
He wired it to you?
Owen Hansen
He gave it to me in cash. Were you in the US I was in Australia, yeah. People. He dropped it off to my. My wife at the time and my. My dad.
Podcast Host 2
Okay, yeah.
Owen Hansen
He says, let's do it again. 2.5 million. I give him a suitcase of 2.5 million. And now this guy, this gambler loses the money. This gambler loses the cartel'. Now I'm scrambling. And you asked what the. The. This craziest thing that happened when he lost the 2.5 million? 1 of my other workers had a bag of 700,000. The guy that lost a 2.5 million was so nervous that I was gonna have a hit put on him. He. He called the police and said, hey, there's this guy that Has a gun. And it was one of my runners. My runners got picked off with 700 grand. So in one day I lost 2.5 million and 700 grand. $3.2 million of the cartels money. What am I going to do? I, I panic. I got to go tell the cartel. Literally I can't tell him on the cryptophone that I lost this money. So I tell him, hey, I need to meet you in person. I go back to that Tijuana bridge, cross that bridge.
Podcast Host 2
How nervous were you going into that meeting?
Podcast Host 3
Did you go solo?
Owen Hansen
3 Xanax, 2 caps of GHB and a big gagger of cooking Y. That's the new big gag, dude. I did a big gagger.
Dude. If I'm going to die, gagger, gagger mate. If I'm going to die, I'm going to die. And not sober. Feeling good, right? Like, take me, I get over there, he says, one o'. Clock. My sicarios for you guys don't know a sicario is a Mexican hitman. They're like security. He says, my Sakaras are going to pick you up at 1pm at McDonald's in Tijuana. I cross that bridge, I'm at Tijuana at 12:55 on this encrypted phone. I'm like, I'm here, El jefe. Literally this suburban pulls up, bulletproof windows, rolls down the window. He goes, oh, it's. He goes, wedo, get in the car. I'm like, okay, this is the guy. I get in the car, I noticed the driver has a handgun. I look behind me and two of the sicarios have AK47s. I'm like, oh, this is serious. Like all I'm thinking guys, is like, okay, these guys are going to shoot me and bury me in the desert in Mexico. That's all I'm thinking. We take this bulletproof vehicle down to Rosarito, which you guys have been to on that toll road. Two more bulletproof vehicles come. One was a Hummer and one was another Suburban. And we're literally three cars going down to this town called Puerto Nuevo. It's a lobster town. And I get into this lobster town in this big restaurant. It's called Porto Nuevo number one. It's the most popular restaurant in, in that part of the town. It shut down. Like, holy. Why is this place shut down? This, this, this kingpin, this carte I'll never mention on the air, but he's sitting there with six caros. He's got the whole restaurant shut down. There's one lady making tortillas and there's one waiter. I'm like, holy. Like, how did this guy pull this off? And then I get there, they got a seat for me, and they got the two guys with the AK47 sitting behind me, like, God damn. And I'm like, I tell him. I tell him the truth. I said, dude, the guy laundered 1.5 million. This gambler, he did a successful and then he lost a 2.5. The same day he lost 700 from my runner. He goes, weddo. He goes, I know, it's already been in the newspaper in Australia. He's been doing his. His homework. It's all over, right? I'm like, he knows. He goes, but, widow, there's good news and there's bad news.
He says, the good news is you're going to be alive. But the bad news, if you don't pay me back, I'm going to kill you. You. He's telling me this in Spanish. He goes, you don't owe me $3.2 million anymore. He goes, you owe me $4 million and now you work for the cartel. I'm like, holy, dude. Like, I'm this, this kid from USC with a comb over, right? Like, I'm freaking out.
Podcast Host 3
Why do you think you decided? Because you probably could have tried to run it out because you're expecting to die when you go tell this guy that. What do you think made you decide? I'm gonna go face this dude and tell him?
Owen Hansen
Good question. Would you like to look at over your shoulder the rest of your life? Right? How much paranoia is that? Right? I'm to die. I'm going to go today, and I'm going to get killed today. That was my, my mindset. Yeah. I'm going to go into this meeting and if he's going to kill me, at least I know I'm getting killed. Yeah. And when he told me I owed him 4 million, I was like, I'm alive, right? Like, that's all I could think about. And if you use your mind, you can get through anything in life.
Podcast Host 2
And, and your mind and a little gagger, right?
Owen Hansen
Big gagger. So he finally listen. I. He said, let's drink. And he cheers, dude, I drank these margaritas like you would never before. Like, literally. I was like, yeah, I'm alive, dude. I guzzled these.
And he says, you're going to take two years off. He says, that rat that told on you, he's, he's, he's hot. He was talking about the gambler that lost the money. He goes, I feel that guy's doing something. He goes, I want you to run your sports book like, like you've always ran it, like a business. He goes, no more drugs, no more money laundering for the cartel. He says, after two years, you're going to come back and you're going to pay back the, the 4 million. And that's what I did. I took two years off and, and literally.
The day of two years, he messaged me on that encrypted phone and he says, it's time to go to work. Have you figured it out?
Podcast Host 2
Did you have the money?
Owen Hansen
No, I didn't have the money. So the, the, the rule was, he says, you're now going to bring the cocaine into Australia. He says, you're going to figure out how to do it yourself. You're not using my routes because you're hotter than fish green. He says, I don't care how you do it, but you're, I'm going to give you the cocaine in the United States and you have to, you have to bring it into Australia and you're going to sell my cocaine over there to pay me back. And that's what I did. I got creative, fellas. I literally.
Podcast Host 3
What about when the feds come into play?
Podcast Host 2
Well, wait, how'd you, what'd you do to smuggle it in?
Owen Hansen
Dude, I had to get creative. I literally broke down the cocaine into wine. So what I did is I took 10 kilos of cocaine, I put it in a bathtub tub, and I took Everclear. 150 Everclear. It's like the strongest alcohol there is. And I'm in this bathtub with this ore, you know, ores for like a stand up paddle board. And I'm, I took 10 kilos, put it in the bathtub with this Everclear, and I'm breaking down this, this cocaine into liquid. Now I have these Napa Valley wine bottles. I emptied out all these bottles of wine and I put all this liquid cocaine in the Napa Valley wine bottles. I packaged it up perfectly. I wiped down the alcohol, I put the cork in, put the candle, melted it so it looked like a wine bottle. And I had one of my runners for the sports book ship it from Napa Valley into Australia. Wow. So I, I landed two cases of wine, right? I had a chemist in Australia take the wine and that's liquid cocaine. And they broke it down and put it back into the kilo form. And this is how I started to pay the cartel back. Eventually I Said I had to find another route. And I started bringing the cocaine into chocolate. So I had pallets of chocolate and I put it between the, the chocolate bars and I would ship it through a candy company. And eventually, after a year, I paid the cartel back $4 million. And they asked me the million dollar question. They said, wedo, what do you want to do? You've paid us back. What would you guys do? A million dollars a day. I'm go make some money for myself now, right? I literally start making money for myself, you know, buying home the world cars.
And within four weeks.
The FBI ends up setting me up. They become my money laundering guys. They handle all the cash. They take the cash and they take it from Australia and bring it into the US and they charge me half of 25%. They're charging me 12%. The feds are doing this unbeknownst to me. I didn't know they're in the feds. They're golfing with me. Yeah.
Podcast Host 3
How did you get that stuff's interesting to me. How do they like, like infiltrate how they find you?
Owen Hansen
So my, so my mates from Australia, they said, hey, we found these guys, they came on this yacht in Sydney and he says, man, these, these guys were on the yacht partying with us. They had encrypted phones. He says, they're drinking, drink, they're doing coke. And I'm like, okay. He says, they're in the money laundering business. I said, okay, well what do you want to do? He goes, let's try them out. He goes, They're 12 and a half percent. That's half of what we're paying. I'm like, that's unheard of, right? So he goes, I'm going to give him 10 grand just to see if they steal the money. So he gives him 10 grand in Australia. This guy comes back to San Diego and we meet up for golf. He brings the 10 grand and he takes his 12 and a half percent. And I, I messaged my mate in Australia. I go, dude, this guy's the real deal. He just paid me the money minus the 10% or the 12 and a half percent. He's like, okay, well let's do another. So we do 500,000. Boom. We pay them the 12 and a half percent. I get the cash minus the 500. I'm like, okay, these guys are bad. Like we're talking fast.
Podcast Host 1
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Owen Hansen
Okay?
Podcast Host 3
So when you're playing golf with them, because in, like, movies and stuff, people start to think like, yo, is this guy fed or wearing a wireless to.
Owen Hansen
How you didn't have any. Like, thought like, these guys are. I'll tell you why I didn't. Because they had encrypted phones. Anybody in the cryptid phone game is like, you're. You're working in the game. You're. You're part of the drug game. If you have an encrypted phone, those things are a thousand bucks a month. And then the key was this. These guys are betting on my web, my website. They're betting on sports. So I'm like, okay, these guys are the fellas. Yeah. And I'm popping Vicodin and I'm drinking vodka. And guess what? They're popping Vicodin too. I'm like, they're doing the drugs. I'm like, there's no way way. But remember, that's kind of sick.
Podcast Host 2
As an informant, you get to like, actually, like, being care.
Is a prescription.
Owen Hansen
Drug so they could get a prescription, right? They never did the coke. And this should have been the. The. Every time I talk about this, this should have been the kicker. We were in, literally Miami, and I invited the guys to the strip club. They turned me down. I'm like, are these guys gay? Like, I was like, like, why don't they want to go to the strip club? Like, like, oh, we got to get back to Our wives. Right, Right. So fast forward two years when I'm now sitting and reading my discovery. I'm in prison. My lawyer's telling me the reason they didn't go to the strip clubs is because they're wearing wires. And what happens at a strip club, you pat it down, girl takes you takes it off to pat you down is because they had wires on so they never want to be exposed. So fast forward, I'm literally gambling with these guys. They're laundering millions of dollars for me.
Podcast Host 3
Were you like, dude, Phil, how the could you do this to me?
Owen Hansen
We played golf together for the past two years, dude. Literally. So literally. I, I, we set up another. Another golf match at 7, 10am at 7, September 9, 2015. I'll never forget the day. And I'm supposed to handle this transaction of half a million dollars. And, dude, I, I'm fired up. I'm gambling with these guys. They're betting on my sports book. They're the boys, right? I leave my Beverly Hills house, and I'm going 100 miles per hour in the carpool. It's just me, and, like, no one's stopping me. I'm like, I'm like, okay, something's going on, right? I get to the country club. It's. It's in Carlsbad, San Diego. And I get there, and there's no one in the parking lot. I'm like, why is. Now there's, dude, this is, like, 500 around. Why is there nobody here? And I get out of my car, and my caddy shows up, and my caddy's just shaking, dude, like a leaf. He's like, Mr. Hansen, welcome. They're like, what the matter with this guy, right? I'm like, where is everyone? I give him my golf bag, and he's, like, shaking. I'm like, dude, everything okay, man? Why is there nobody here? She's like, I don't know, Mr. Hansen. Like, okay, this is weird, right? And I literally go to my passenger side where I have this Louis Vuitton bag where I keep, like, 50 grand and three encrypted phones. And I go grab that bag, and I turn it around, and 15 agents come out of the bushes. FBI helicopter in the sky. I'm like, oh.
Dude, that's how my, my life ended. And everyone's like, dude, are you scared? The cartel. What are you going to do? I'm like, dude, I'm not going to lie, guys. The first time in my life, I felt relieved it was finally over. Like, like, I'm done with the Cartel. I'm done taking bets. I'm done doing rack and rails and hookers. You know, it's over, right? Like you're like, you're like. It's finally I can go rest, right? Yeah. Yeah.
Podcast Host 3
So you get, you get locked up and then straight in. How, how ba. Like how strong was their case? They had everything.
Owen Hansen
Case was everything. They indicted 23 of my friends.
Podcast Host 3
Oh, my God.
Owen Hansen
My accountant, my CEO, my private investigator, my buddy that won three Super Bowls for two with the Broncos, one with the 49ers.
Podcast Host 3
Who was that?
Owen Hansen
Derek Lel. He played back. Back in the day. They subpoenaed Jeremy, Shocky, Reggie Bush. All these people are like freaking out, right. And everyone's freaking, freaking out.
Podcast Host 3
Yeah.
Owen Hansen
I'm sitting in a six by eight prison cell going, what's going on?
Podcast Host 2
And what were you charged with?
Owen Hansen
It's called a rico, right. Racketeering, influence corrupt organization, which is what they charge the mob with. It was called distribution of cocaine, money laundering and illegal bookmaking. So it was three charges and I got sentenced to 21 years in federal prison and then I had a life sentence in Australia.
Podcast Host 3
And how much time did you end up doing?
Owen Hansen
Think I ended up doing nine years behind the fence in a, In a year and a half in the halfway house.
Podcast Host 3
Can I ask how much assistance you did?
Owen Hansen
You could ask. Yeah, but I'm going to tell you, you got to watch the docu series. Yeah, yeah. Because there's, there's, there's definitely some assistance, but it's not the cartel. Otherwise I won't be here today.
Podcast Host 3
Right.
Owen Hansen
Let's just say I had a corrupt attorney and it worked in my favor. I tell people I won the lottery in the life.
Podcast Host 3
I mean, that interrogation, that. The whole point is that it's just to get more and more out of you.
Owen Hansen
That's their job. Right? Yeah. And I, I get. I told them for two and a half years while fighting my case, it's not going to happen. I'm not going to sign a destination. I got a wife, I got a dad, a mother, sisters. As soon as I give them information on the cartel, it's over.
Podcast Host 3
What'd you do when you were locked up, like, and how were you treated when you got in there?
Podcast Host 2
What jail was it where.
Owen Hansen
Well, it's now, it's a prison. Right. Because jail, you go to fight your case and then you go to prison. So, you know, I started at United States Penitentiary in Lompoc where you're with like lifers, you know, guys that are never getting out And I remember I was with Big Meech, Harry O, who started Death Row Records. You know, big names, right? And you're. You're just like, I'm never getting out. Like, I'm 21 years. And then I eventually got down to FCI Lompoc, and then I went to Victorville, and then I went to Colorado.
Podcast Host 3
Where in Colorado Springs?
Owen Hansen
No, Colorado. England.
Podcast Host 3
Yeah.
Owen Hansen
Yeah, it was cool.
Podcast Host 3
Exactly where that is, dude.
Owen Hansen
It was a great prison. So you know who I was with? Jared Fogel. Remember Subway? The Jared Fogos. That guy? Yeah, he was there. He's a child.
Podcast Host 3
They got that one. And they have her, like, chapos, locked.
Owen Hansen
Up choppers and ADX. Yeah. Which is in Florence, right. That's like 30 minutes down the road.
Podcast Host 3
Yep.
Owen Hansen
He's never getting out. I don't think so. Yeah, I know he's not.
Podcast Host 3
So how did you get out early?
Owen Hansen
I told you, we gotta watch the docu series. Okay. Yeah, but definitely, we had a corrupt attorney, and I was able to prove that he was corrupt. I didn't have to tell on the cartel. And literally, in prison, I went back to school. I got my master's degree. I wrote the book the California Kid, which I gave you guys.
And I started, like, teaching these kids, like, to get their ged. There's a lot of dumb kids in. In prison. They're uneducated, and if they have their ged, they're able to, you know, make more money in prison. So I started teaching these guys and helping with their ged. And then by accident, man, I'm not. I'm not gonna lie, I started a business. This is. This is a crazy business, taking my protein shake. I was really into fitness. I was taking my protein shake every day. I would take these. These empty peanut butter jars, and I would take the milk from the commissary, and I put these slices of banana we got from the kitchen from the chow hall. And then I put peanut butter, and we got these protein shakes that we could buy on commissary. And every day I would shake them up. And in prison, we don't have refrigeration. So I would take a mop bucket, the thing you use to clean yourself, and I would. I would fill it up with ice, and I would take these protein shakes and I stuff it in there, there. And it would be a cold protein shake, right? So in prison, I told people, like, hey, in prison, I work out, I drink, I have my protein shakes. I have my meal prep. Like, I. I train. I train my mind to feel Like, I'm on the outside, so I don't feel like I'm in prison. I start making these protein shakes, and one day we ran out of ice. My cell goes, hey, we're out of ice. I said, well, what are we going to do? I need a cold protein shake. He says, well, we could put salt. Salt. He says, we put salt and make it cold. I said, oh, put some salt on there. I go work out with my crew, and I come back and I go grab my protein shake. It's rock hard. I go, man, my protein shake's rock hard. What am I gonna do? He's like, dude, just open it. Eat it. Like ice cream. So I'm literally eating it like ice cream. Dude, this is amazing. And then the light bulb went on my hair. I'm like, dude, this is my new hustle. So in prison, prison now, I'm making these peanut butter jars full of protein and their ice cream, and I'm selling them for 15 a jar, right?
People are like, dude, you're crazy. You're selling ice cream in prison. Like, there's no ice cream in prison. Like, dude, this is fun, right? Come Super Bowl.
I have pre orders for 50 of these protein ice creams.
Podcast Host 3
Really? From inmates.
Owen Hansen
Just for inmates. And they're paying me. They're like, dude. And everyone's telling me like, dude, Owen, you're making more money than the prison guards. You're right. I am right. Like, this is my. My hustle mentality.
Podcast Host 3
I'm like, dude, are you saying by the time it was a Super bowl or for the super bowl, everyone.
Owen Hansen
Everyone wanted. I. I literally made.
Podcast Host 3
What's a big event?
Owen Hansen
It's a big event, right? I get out of prison. Guess what? I get in the halfway house. I'm stuck in this halfway house. I'm like, what am I gonna do? I'm a convicted felon. What the am I gonna do? I called my buddy from Miami, me. I tell him my story. I said, dude, I was selling ice cream in prison. Like, I was selling cocaine on the street, right? And he was like, dude, what are you talking about? I said, dude, I was selling protein ice cream. He said, protein ice cream. He's like, I've never heard of that. I'm. I'm like, you never heard of it? So I start googling. I never use Google, right? I'm like, protein ice cream. There's a company called Halo Top. Those are good. They're terrible. There's five grams of protein, right? I'm like, five?
Podcast Host 3
There's only 100 calories, 100 calories.
Owen Hansen
Okay. So I'm like, okay. Well, in prison I was making these protein shakes with 40 grams. So I said, you know what? I. I said, I'm going to start one. And literally, I started this brand.
Podcast Host 2
Here, let me get the bottom one.
Owen Hansen
Dude, this is.
Podcast Host 2
I'll take the bottom one for you.
Owen Hansen
Dude, don't try that. Right there. Right there. That's an orgasm in your mouth.
Podcast Host 3
I don't care. It doesn't matter.
Podcast Host 2
So you got into this.
Owen Hansen
So I got into this. I started making protein ice cream on the street. And I'm literally selling this, like, crack cocaine in the 80s, too. This right here, I think has 6, 8 net carbs, less than 250 calories, 20 grams of protein. Monk fruit is your sweetener.
Podcast Host 3
Yeah, this is really good.
Owen Hansen
I eat four a day. This is cake batter, strawberry, California Ice, protein.com. but a lot of gyms and nutrition stores. I'm in New York, Miami, New Jersey, Philly and California. Vegas, mostly gyms and nutrition stores.
Podcast Host 3
When did you get out?
Owen Hansen
June 26th. So four and a half months ago. What's the. The hardest part about you rebuilding your life after a story like yours? Going from making a million dollars a day to making a hundred dollars a day, but making a dollar profit on an ice cream bar? When I used to make, you know, $50,000 on a kilo of cocaine.
Podcast Host 3
At least it's clean money.
Owen Hansen
It's clean money. It's from going, you know, putting bad things on the streets to now putting healthy things, you know, like from putting bad things on the streets now. Healthy treats. Yeah, this is like, healthy. Like, there's monk food, fruit, but not sugar. It's protein. Yeah, it's fire.
Podcast Host 2
I like it.
Owen Hansen
I tell people I'm, dude, if I can just sell this, I mean, this is going to be like my new hustle. And like, when I land a pallet of ice cream into New York, it feels like landing a pallet of cocaine into Australia. Because it's the same rush. You're like, holy. It made it right. That's how I think now. Like, I don't care about the illegal drugs.
Podcast Host 2
If you got the protein ice cream, do you get the girls now an hour, dude.
Owen Hansen
That's the thing. Like, think about it. I used to. If you had the bag.
Podcast Host 1
Not quite the same, right?
Owen Hansen
If you had the bag, right? You're the man. But I'm telling you, the chicks, look at the girl that just came out and brought this, dude. Like, these are the girls that I want eating it like, lean, ripped. Not the only fan girl. I want the healthy girl. That's my new life.
Podcast Host 2
What was the craziest thing that happened in jail?
Owen Hansen
Dude, I saw the Mexican mafia put a hit on a dude that owed $3,000 for drugs. And they killed him right in front of my cell. They stabbed him to death. I was like, oh, my God. I was like, what doing here? I saw two guys overdose on heroin in the same cell. They both took a shot. We were all sleeping, and all of a sudden the guards come to the cell. Man down, man down. And they both overdose on heroin. Has anyone ever tried to get at you? No. In prison now? No.
Podcast Host 2
How did you stay safe in there?
Owen Hansen
I mean, in prison, you run with your race. So I can't run with the cartel because I'm. I'm white, Right. But there's. There's the Mexicans, which are like the cartel guys, which are called Pisces in prison. And then there's the Serenos, which are like the Mexican gang.
Podcast Host 2
But did the cartel help you out and say, like, yo, don't touch this guy?
Owen Hansen
No, they blast me. Like, when I was in there, I had guys shaking my hand from the cartel I work for, like, giving me bags of coffee, giving me treats like, dude, you, you, you. You held your word. Like they were happy, right? And. And that helped me in prison because people now are like, damn, who is this guy? Rolling Stones did a magazine. Mark Wahlberg obviously did the documentary. So people are like, dude, who's this guy? So it helped me.
Podcast Host 3
Yeah, you put this completely behind you. But what do you miss most about that gay game besides money?
Owen Hansen
Chicks, dude. They're gonna come.
Podcast Host 2
You're looking good.
Owen Hansen
I got the ice cream. Yeah, yeah.
Podcast Host 3
You got more level headed women now.
Owen Hansen
Dude, I. Chicks probably love your stomach healthier, girl. No, I used to get those girls with the big fat asses and tits.
Podcast Host 3
Yeah.
Owen Hansen
Like I said, they love the bag, right? But now, yeah, I get the more healthy girl that's more into their health. They want to. Instead of going to do a line, they want to go have a smoothie at Air1 Bar. Right. It's a different type.
Podcast Host 3
Better life.
Owen Hansen
It was a way better life. And I'll be the best thing about life. I. I don't have to look over my shoulder anymore. Yeah. Like, I have paranoia. Yeah. No more paranoia.
Podcast Host 3
Are you just addicted to the sweat.
Owen Hansen
Of like, I played for the rush, man. I was an adrenaline junkie. Like, you guys probably know you game on sports. You remember that feeling you're chasing that's how it was every day.
Podcast Host 3
You can't control it. It's a dark hole.
Owen Hansen
It's definitely a dark hole. Once you go down that rabbit hole, it's hard to get. Get out. I tell people I speak to kids now. Pop Warner and college students said the athlete level. I said, guys, trust me on this one. This is where I started. I started with the sports betting. Yeah. And it snowballed. I went down that rabbit hole. And once you go down that rabbit hole and you're making, you know, a million dollars a day, you're not going to leave and go work a nine to five. No.
Podcast Host 3
It's crazy, too. That's still as popular it is today. And I was going to say, like, I went to see you, Boulder.
Owen Hansen
Oh, yeah, dude.
Podcast Host 3
Every. Every final. Every kid was on Adol in the library. Then you know what they took to sleep the day after the test? You know, like, it's so popular.
Owen Hansen
It's like, yeah, everyone's prescrib, so it's honestly a problem.
Podcast Host 3
But it's like, obviously it took you down a different path, but I'm surprised it doesn't. It probably messes up a lot of people who just don't hear about as much.
Owen Hansen
Oh, for sure.
Podcast Host 2
Thank you.
Owen Hansen
Who's. Who's one person you wish you listened to back then? My dad.
Podcast Host 2
You said he raised you like, super.
Owen Hansen
My dad was so strict, and he said, son, you got to get into the construction business. He goes in the long run, you know, slow and steady wins the race. My dad used to tell me that all time. The. The time.
Podcast Host 3
Did he know what you were doing?
Owen Hansen
No. Of course. You can't tell your father. You're kingpin, right?
Podcast Host 3
Well, he had to. Someone had to be curious.
Owen Hansen
I don't know. He started to realize, like, I took him out. I remember in college, and I had a Mercedes, and he's looking at me like, dude, son, how are you getting this car? And, like, the boosters, right? The boosters.
Podcast Host 3
Oh, yeah.
Owen Hansen
So he kind of believed it. And then when I got out of prison, or not out of prison, but when I got out of college and I'm. I'm making good money and I'm starting to build, like, houses and stuff, he's like, my. My boy's really doing it, right? He's thinking it's all the USC alumni.
Podcast Host 2
I.
Owen Hansen
It's something you just can't tell your dad. Of course, when he visited me in prison, he's like, you lied to me, son. Like, dad, I wasn't going to tell You. I was selling a ton of cocaine, right? Yeah. He's like, son, I'm very disappointed. And you know, at the end of the documentary, he's there at the prison greeting me. And he's been there visiting me. Every, Every three months he'd come and visit me in prison. So he was my rock, right? I. I just kept telling myself, I gotta get out, make sure my dad's still alive. You know, he's my.
Podcast Host 3
Yeah, nine years is a long time to do so.
Owen Hansen
Yeah.
Podcast Host 3
Came out. You seem like you're level headed and you're ready to go, so that's pretty impressive.
Owen Hansen
Yeah. Just adapting to this real world, right? The social media.
Podcast Host 2
What was it like getting out for the first time?
Owen Hansen
Dude, the phone, right? You get it? Like Uber eats. Like what, the Uber eats? Yeah, I'm like, bluetooth. I'm like, what the is Bluetooth?
Podcast Host 3
There was no Bluetooth.
Owen Hansen
Bluetooth. There was no Bluetooth. Bluetooth. Putting these things in my ears and these guys are like, hey, you got.
Podcast Host 2
To get that sealed up. Doesn't work though, sometimes Bluetooth, it's still not there somehow, right?
Owen Hansen
It's a, It's a, it's 20, 25.
Podcast Host 2
And Bluetooth still doesn't.
Owen Hansen
Right? People are like, hey, I hear an echo. Like such a hard stuff, right? Dude, Another one was like, Amazon next day. That was unheard of. Only fans, right? I'm like, what the is this? Only fans, right? What am I supposed to do with this? This girl's banging herself and she wants 10 bucks an hour, right? I'm like, like, what the. I'm like, man, this is like the new world we're living in. Yeah. So I tell people if I don't do good in the ice cream, I'm going to. Only fans, fellas, right?
Oh, yeah.
Podcast Host 2
What was the crazy thing you saw the cartel do?
Owen Hansen
Oh, dude, I saw a guy, one of the guys that worked for the cartel. His job was to bring 100 kilos from Guatemala. And the guy brought the 100 kilos over. And I remember it, the. The cocaine wasn't cocaine. It was drywall, drywall powder. And he says, hey, you just bought a million dollars worth of drywall powder. He says, if you don't go fix this, you're going to be dead. The guy had to go over there, bring him back to Mexico from Guatemala, and he had to take his head off and cut his head off with a saw. With a chainsaw. And I saw it with my own eyes, like, oh my God, this is.
Podcast Host 2
Saw guys head get cut off of the chainsaw.
Owen Hansen
Yeah.
Podcast Host 3
What were you doing?
Owen Hansen
Holy. I was over there. What am I supposed to do? Call my mom?
Podcast Host 3
I would have to leave the room for that.
Owen Hansen
Listen, listen, guys, I'm knee deep in the cartel at this point. Yeah, it's. You can't do anything. Like.
Podcast Host 2
Did you meet, like, the leader of a cartel?
Owen Hansen
I met the lieutenant, who.
Podcast Host 2
Which is like, what's the hierarchy with.
Owen Hansen
I mean, it goes. So you guys know it goes. El Chapel, Guzman also. What. And then the lieutenant's right under him, and he's. Let's just say this. He's not in prison, so he's. He's still active, so he's high up there.
Podcast Host 2
Holy.
Owen Hansen
Yeah. So, you know, I. I don't tell anybody who I was working for, what cartel I was working for. But, you know, if you watch the docu series, obviously the DEA and the FBI, they. They think they know who. But I'm never confirm or deny. I can't. Otherwise you guys and I, we won't be having happy dad anytime soon.
Podcast Host 2
No.
Owen Hansen
Right. It's not happening. Wow.
Podcast Host 2
How many people were working for the cartel, you think?
Owen Hansen
Oh, thousands. Yeah. I mean, just in Mexico, probably 5,000. And that's. That's not even tip of the iceberg. You got the U.S. you got Europe, you got Australia. I was considered the signal caller, which is in football, the signal caller is the quarterback.
Podcast Host 3
Right.
Owen Hansen
That's why they call it cocaine quarterback. The signal caller is the guy that holds up the signs and calls the shots, calls the plays. So I was calling the plays from the United States. So that's why they say it's cocaine quarterback, signal caller for the cartel.
Podcast Host 2
You never had any, like, contact with.
Owen Hansen
El Chapo, though, or not direct, but I'm not going to say that's the cartel I was working for. But let's just. Yeah, let's. Let's just say that I was very close.
Podcast Host 2
That's a crazy story. So what.
Podcast Host 1
What do you.
Podcast Host 2
What do you want to achieve now that you're out? Like the protein ice cream. But anything personally or.
Owen Hansen
I want to help the kids, man, the youth. Right. I. I go. I speak now now to law enforcement hires me to speak to them and. And talk about my journey, you know, working for the cartel. My. My most favorite is going to speak to college athletes. I was at usc, where I played, obviously, three weeks ago. Talked to the basketball team. Today I was in San Diego speaking to the baseball team. And, you know, just get the message out there. Like, it starts small, like you have someone in the. In the sports gambling business, that, that, you know, you get involved in this sports gambling and guess what? It can just snowball. And eventually I was working for the cartel because I got involved in this gambling. And now gambling is legal in the United States. And student athletes are going to. Obviously they're going to gamble, right? There's. I'm not. I'm a grown man. I'm not going to tell you not to gamble, but just be responsible because if you don't be responsible, you're going to go down the path I went down, and that's something you guys don't want to face. And I tell these students and they're literally listening me talk. Their jaws are dropped. They're like, holy, this really happens happen. And they come talk to me after. I'm like, dude, just. Just trust me. Once you start gambling, it's that. That rush. You're going to keep chasing it.
Podcast Host 3
Tell them the chainsaw story.
Owen Hansen
Couple the chainsaw story.
Podcast Host 3
Yeah, that's all I got to hear.
Owen Hansen
I'm.
Podcast Host 3
I'm good now.
Owen Hansen
Yeah, that's it. That's insane. I'm sorry.
Podcast Host 2
That's crazy.
Podcast Host 3
Yeah, I've seen like, the caro is like literally what you're describing. People. People forget. This shit's real too.
Owen Hansen
Oh, it's real. I got. Dude, I got ptsd. To this day. Day just a prison, right? Like, you hear keys because when the guards come every hour, they. They check your room to make sure you're live at like from 10pm till 6 in the morning, and they open up with the keys. So when you hear keys, I'm like, oh, the cops. The cops are coming. Like, that's like, that's. The PTSD is bad. Or when I hear like squeaks of the. The feet on the floor, you know, like in a gym, you hear the squeaking. That's usually when people are like, fighting. That's a riot going on. So if you hear like squeaking, you're like, oh, who's fighting? Fighting. Just little things like that. Probably going to stay with me for. For years, right?
Podcast Host 2
Well, it's an incredible story and yeah, we wish you the best luck. We got to get it on the link sometime maybe.
Owen Hansen
Yeah, we got to play. We got a full.
Podcast Host 2
We got a full send Golf channel. So we'll get a nice match. We usually get. We get some only fans chicks out on the course.
Owen Hansen
But they're fine. They can be.
Podcast Host 2
Maybe we'll try to convert them. We'll feed them ice cream.
Owen Hansen
You give them ice cream. Get.
Podcast Host 2
Yeah, we'll be like, get off. Only fans. 30 and ice cream.
Podcast Host 3
That's it.
Podcast Host 2
We do ice.
Owen Hansen
Ice cream now, girls.
Podcast Host 2
Yeah.
Owen Hansen
Awesome. Yeah.
Podcast Host 2
Owen Hanson.
Owen Hansen
Thanks for having.
Podcast Host 2
Thank you, bro.
Owen Hansen
Yeah. Thank you.
Podcast Host 3
There we go.
Owen Hansen
And Doug, here we have the Limu Emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug.
Podcast Host 3
Limu. Is that guy with the binoculars watching us?
Owen Hansen
Cut the camera. They see us. Only pay for what you need@libertymutual.com Liberty.
Podcast Host 3
Liberty.
Owen Hansen
Liberty. Liberty Savings.
Podcast Host 3
Very.
Owen Hansen
Underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and affiliates. Excludes Massachusetts.
Date: December 10, 2025
Host: Shots Podcast Network
Guest: Owen Hanson ("Cocaine Quarterback")
This episode welcomes Owen Hanson, former USC athlete whose wild life journey went from collegiate sports to international drug kingpin to federal prison—and now, entrepreneur and speaker. The conversation, at once jaw-dropping and darkly humorous, traces his transformation through college athletics, organized crime, dealing with Mexican cartels, money laundering, life in prison, and his reinvention post-release. Owen’s story inspired the documentary “Cocaine Quarterback.”
Owen Hanson's story is a cautionary epic, blending dark humor with moments of genuine insight and high tension. He’s honest about adrenaline addiction, the glamour and destruction of the underworld, and the depth of regret for choices made. From smuggling pills in college to running million-dollar operations and facing the reality of cartel violence and prison, Owen urges listeners—especially college athletes and young adults—to heed the risks in the “snowball effect” of gambling and party drug culture. Now, with his protein ice cream business and motivational speaking career, he finds a new purpose and chases a different kind of "rush."
For deeper context, listeners are encouraged to check out the documentary “Cocaine Quarterback” and Owen’s book, "The California Kid."