Law Enforcement Talk: True Crime and Trauma Stories

Episode: From the Drug Violence of Miami to Colombia

Host: John "Jay" Wiley
Guest: Chris Feistel, retired DEA agent, co-author of After Escobar, featured in Netflix’s Narcos
Date: October 1, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode brings listeners behind the scenes of the international drug wars that shaped both South Florida and Colombia from the 1980s to the 2000s. Host John "Jay" Wiley interviews Chris Feistel—a retired DEA agent directly involved in taking down the notorious Cali cartel. They discuss Feistel’s career journey from policing in Virginia Beach to high-stakes undercover work in Miami and ultimately, to Colombia at the heart of cartel operations. The conversation delves into the realities of anti-narcotics investigations, the evolution of drug cartels, the experience of living and working in a dangerous foreign environment, and the lasting impacts of these events. Feistel also shares his motivation for co-authoring After Escobar and insights into his portrayal in Netflix’s Narcos.

Key Discussion Points

1. From Street Cop to International DEA Agent

• John J. Wiley introduces Chris Feistel and outlines his unique credentials: Miami's "Cocaine Cowboy" era, Colombia’s cartel wars, book authorship, and Netflix fame.

• Feistel’s law enforcement background: Started at 24 after policing in Wildwood, NJ and Virginia Beach, VA.

  • "I was the second youngest in my class." – Chris Feistel [04:20]

• Motivation to Join DEA

  • Undercover methamphetamine operation in NJ sparked his interest.
  • Chose Virginia Beach PD as a stepping stone due to long DEA hiring process.
  • “I just used that as a springboard to get into the DEA.” – Chris Feistel [06:49]

• Undercover Persona

  • Adopted “long hair, earrings” look during narcotics work.
  • “That was just for the job … but when you work in police officer … you’re always neat and clean … federal agency like that, like the DEA, gives you that opportunity … to do things a little bit differently.” – Chris Feistel [07:31]

2. The Miami Assignment: Sink or Swim

• First DEA assignment: Miami, 1988.
  • “Cocaine was literally falling out of the sky … you were thrown right into the fire. It was either that sink or swim mentality.” – Chris Feistel [12:49], [13:41]
• The chaos and violence: South Florida was inundated with cartel shipments—the Medellín and Cali cartels at the forefront.
• Operational realism: Limited resources, high workload, agent improvisation.

3. The Leap to Colombia: Under the Cartel’s Shadow

• From Miami to Colombia: Gained international smuggling investigation experience in South Florida, leading to assignment against Colombian cartels.
  • “If you wanted to be a real DEA agent, you had to go to the mecca of drug trafficking, which was Colombia.” – Chris Feistel [15:49]
• Culture shock? Minimal, thanks to regional work in the Caribbean and Latin America.
• Age and Risk: Assigned to Colombia at 30, younger than most expectations for the role.
  • “We were the only Americans there … no camouflaging us.” – Chris Feistel [21:30]

4. Life and Risk in Cartel Territory

• Personal safety and corruption concerns:
  • “Anybody that we met, especially women, we were always concerned … this was just an attempt by the Cali cartel to try to discredit us, blackmail us, or get us removed from the country.” – Chris Feistel [22:33]
• Cartels’ strategies:
  • Medellín excelled in overt violence, while the Cali cartel preferred bribery, sophistication, and businesslike fronts.
  • “Cali … their weapon of choice was to bribe.” – Chris Feistel [23:11]
• The Cali cartel empire: legitimate businesses, banks, media, and sports; controlling 80–85% of U.S. cocaine supply.
  • “If Antarctica had a cocaine problem, it would have been seven [continents].” – Chris Feistel [23:11]

5. Cartel Weaknesses: Following the Money

• Money laundering operations:
  • Cartel flew tens of millions in bulk cash, used aircraft, owned banks, laundered money worldwide.
  • “Imagine you just have a team of people that do nothing but launder money. … They had property they didn’t even know they owned.” – Chris Feistel [26:45]

6. Taking Down the Cali Cartel: Tactics and Aftermath

• Keys to success:

  1. Huge monetary rewards for information ($1.5 million for leaders).
  2. Specialized polygraph units to counter local corruption.
  3. High-level informants inside the cartel providing actionable intelligence.
  • “The only way … these guys all fell was through the use of human sources infiltrating the organization.” – Chris Feistel [32:01]

• After capture:

  • No extradition for Colombians to the U.S. at that time; leaders ran operations from local prisons.
  • “Your prisons are not safe … it just allowed these kingpins to run their business from the prison.” – Chris Feistel [33:34]
  • Corruption deeply entrenched—cartel documents identified 2,800 compromised officials, including millions contributed to political campaigns.

• Recognition and career impact:

  • No parade, little fanfare post-takedown: “That’s your job … what have you done for me lately?” – Chris Feistel [35:41][36:08]
  • Moved on to new assignments, including investigating the North Valley Cartel.

7. Telling the Story: Book, TV, and Reflection

• Reluctant author:
  • Co-authored After Escobar at the suggestion of partner Dave Mitchell (with Jessica Balboni).
  • “I wasn’t really interested … he basically convinced me to write the book.” – Chris Feistel [37:49]
• Book offers inside stories, political context, and rare photos: www.afterescobar.com
• On being featured in Narcos: Never expected fame, describing himself as “pretty low key, pretty humble.” [11:56]
• Open invitation for reader/listener questions via the website and Instagram.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If Antarctica had a cocaine problem, it would have been seven [continents].”
  — Chris Feistel [23:11]

• “So much property and so many assets that they didn’t even realize what they own.”
  — Chris Feistel [28:26]

• “Anybody that we met, especially women, we were always concerned about that, that this was just an attempt by the Cali cartel to try to discredit us, blackmail us, or get us removed from the country.”
  — Chris Feistel [22:33]

• “The only way … these guys all fell was through the use of human sources infiltrating the organization.”
  — Chris Feistel [32:01]

• “That’s your job … what have you done for me lately?”
  — Chris Feistel [35:41]

• “No camouflaging us … so the minute that we did anything, everybody knew or immediately associated us with DEA or CIA.”
  — Chris Feistel [21:30]

Important Timestamps

• [02:56] – Reality vs. Hollywood depiction of DEA agents
• [06:01] – Motivation and path into DEA
• [12:43] – First Miami DEA assignment and the “sink or swim” mentality
• [14:52] – Infiltrating cartels, transportation smuggling operations
• [15:49] – The pull toward Colombia
• [21:30] – Life as an obvious American agent in cartel territory
• [23:11] – Cali cartel’s business model, economic footprint, and scale
• [26:45] – Cartel money laundering, property ownership
• [28:42] – The mechanics of taking down the Cali cartel: bribes, informants, rewards
• [32:01] – Key role of human informants in major cartel takedowns
• [33:34] – Limitations of Colombian justice, lack of extradition, ongoing cartel operations from prison
• [35:41] – Law enforcement’s “what have you done for me lately” culture
• [37:49] – Origin of After Escobar and the challenge of becoming an author

Resources and Contact

• Chris Feistel’s book & background: AfterEscobar.com
• Contact: Email available via website
• Host, show info, and community: LETRadio.com, Facebook, Clubhouse, Instagram

Episode Takeaways

This episode reveals the true complexity, danger, and international depth of the war on drugs—including the unseen personal risks faced by agents like Chris Feistel. Listeners learn how cartels grew into global enterprises, why traditional police work doesn’t always apply, and the little-known aftermath for those who dismantle criminal empires. The conversation is a sobering reminder of the real stories behind popular true crime media, providing a compelling blend of action, insight, and humanity from both sides of the badge.