The Hidden Third: "NYC Drug Kingpin Turned Weed CEO"
Host: Mariana van Zeller | Guest: Coss Marte
Release Date: April 1, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of "The Hidden Third" takes listeners inside the underground economies of New York City through the life story of Coss Marte. Born to Dominican immigrant parents, Coss grew up in the drug-ravaged Lower East Side, ran a multi-million dollar drug delivery empire in his early 20s, served prison time under harsh New York drug laws, and later reinvented himself as the CEO of ConBody (a prison-style fitness company) and Khanbud, a legal cannabis dispensary—remarkably, in the same neighborhood where he once hustled. Coss’s story reflects not only the personal impacts of underground markets but also the promise and limits of rehabilitation, systemic injustice, and social entrepreneurship.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Early Life and Entry into Drug Trade

• Setting: Lower East Side, NYC, 1980s-2000s—a "very drug-infested neighborhood." (02:22)
• Family: Both Dominican immigrants; father worked in bodegas, mother in sewing factories (03:11). Siblings: two successful sisters, brother is a Manhattan city council member (03:45).
• Influence of Environment: Saw drug dealers as models of "real success": flashy clothes, cars, respect (02:47, 03:09).
• First Forays: Smoked weed at 10-11, began selling by buying ounces from cousins; earned $300/week in early teens (05:30–07:03).
• Parental Perspectives: Father turned a blind eye, mother was vehemently against drugs (07:55).

The Rise: Building a Drug Delivery Empire

• From Corner-Boy to CEO: By 19, made $2 million/year; built a large-scale delivery service with 10,000+ clients (21:03–23:18).
• Clients: Gentrifying hipsters, Wall Street types—shifted from corner dealing to 24/7 delivery service (15:56–25:21, 21:14).
• Operations: Used multiple cellphones (each holding 1500 contacts), named the service initially "Happy Endings," later changed due to confusion with massage parlors (21:13, 21:34).
• Cash Flow: Everything cash-based; hid money in shoeboxes (24:09), always wary of police.

Notable Quotes:

• “We were probably the first 24-hour delivery service because nobody was doing 24 hours.” (25:29)
• “At least 10,000 [customers] ... I think I was the first to scale it ... to a different level.” (23:18, 23:28)
• “We were our own security.” (24:43)

Policing & Arrest

• Constant Police Harassment: Stopped by NYPD over 300 times, arrested 12+ times, but always adapted new hiding spots for drugs (11:25).
• Hierarchies and Territoriality: The block acted as its own ecosystem—selling on the wrong corner could get you beat up (24:37).
• Final Bust (Age 23): DEA raided the stash house after an inside betrayal; client list, drugs, and cash seized (31:40–34:33).
• Legal Jeopardy: Initially faced life under Rockefeller drug laws; a change in state policy reduced the sentence to 7 years (42:15–43:35).

Memorable Story:

• “I remember, like, going up [to the stash house] and ... my dispatcher started a phone line on the side ... that got tapped by the feds.” (32:25)
• “I was the last person to get caught...they got me in the stash house with five pounds of weed and a kilo and a half of coke.” (32:22)

Prison: Survival and Transformation

Rikers & Upstate (“Gladiator School”)

• Gang Pressures: Approached by Dominican and other gangs; adopted “neutral for life” (NFL) and declined unless paid (46:08–47:43).
• Brutal Conditions: Made own shank/weapon; regularly faced violence, strip searches, abusive guards (51:36–53:35).
• Dealing in Prison: Smuggled weed using "prison pocket", started a prison micro-business, sold joints ("spider legs") for $5-10 (58:02, 62:15).
• Free Labor: Paid 7 cents/hour for prison work—"slavery by another name" (69:22, 70:29).

Realization and Spiritual Shift (Solitary Confinement)

• Breaking Point: In solitary after a guard altercation; stifling conditions, near-hopelessness (72:58).
• Religious/Emotional Awakening: Sister sends Psalm 91; finds a stamp miraculously in his Bible, interprets as a sign (77:25).
• Regret and Resolve: “I started feeling regret ... and I said I wanted to do something right ... when I come back.” (75:43, 77:49)

Notable Quotes:

• “I went into prison weighing a lot ... they told me I could probably die in five years if I kept eating the way I was.” (62:52)
• “That little stamp changed my life ... [I] read the Bible from front to back while I was there ... That’s where ConBody started.” (75:40, 77:48)

Reentry: From Convict to Entrepreneur

Starting Over

• Barriers: Couldn't get jobs due to criminal record; lied on applications, worked off the books for $5/hour (83:30–85:04).
• Hustle: Built ConBody from scratch—park workouts grew into a real business; prioritized hiring formerly incarcerated instructors (86:36–88:28).

Entrepreneurship & Advocacy

• ConBody: Hires and trains former prisoners as trainers, offering another path after release (88:00–88:28).
• Khanbud: Opened a legal cannabis dispensary in his old neighborhood; involved in advocacy for first-in-line licensing for those harmed by prior drug laws (91:28–93:10).
• Fighting for Fairness: Helped amend laws so parolees could work in NY cannabis; consults with regulators on fair practices to prevent corporate takeovers (94:31–95:10).

Quotes:

• “I have people I was selling with 20 years ago now selling with me again in the shop.” (96:08)
• “The largest problem...is going to be the criminal justice system and the rehabilitation system. It’s broken and it’s not working.” (101:15, referencing a MLK quote)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On hustling as a child:
  "I was the first kid in my class to have a StarTac." - Coss (07:14)
• On building his empire:
  "Seven cellphones… Each phone only held 1500 contacts." (21:36)
• On the profitability of prison markets:
  "Inside you sell like a spider leg for 10 bucks... That amount of weed is $5." (62:15)
• On spiritual awakening:
  "A stamp fell out of my Bible...that little stamp changed my life." (77:25)
• On criminal justice reform:
  "You know, Martin Luther King...he basically states, the largest problem...is going to be the criminal justice system and the rehabilitation system." (101:15)
• On entrepreneurship and resilience:
  "All the transferable skills from being an illegal entrepreneur to being a legal entrepreneur ... The only difference was a time lapse." (98:16)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [02:22] Childhood in drug-ridden Lower East Side
• [05:30–07:03] Beginnings as a teen drug dealer
• [15:56–25:21] Building a 24/7 city-wide delivery service
• [31:40–34:33] Arraignment and bust by DEA
• [51:36–53:35] Prison violence, survival routines
• [75:25–77:49] Solitary confinement, bible, and personal transformation
• [83:30–86:26] Reentry, work struggles, ConBody origin
• [88:00–89:09] Hiring returning citizens, growth of ConBody
• [91:28–96:50] Legal cannabis, advocacy, and business model
• [101:15] Reflections on the future of justice and rehabilitation

Tonal Highlights

• Coss: Raw, candid, streetwise, and reflective—oscillates between dark humor ("I got the white lady," 21:56), industry savvy, and, later, vulnerability about regret and redemption.
• Mariana: Empathetic, probing, occasionally incredulous; lightly injects her own immigrant/journalistic perspective.

Conclusion & Impact

This episode is a rich, real-world case study in how underground economies operate and why they persist. Coss’s story is both sensational—a tale of high-stakes hustling, police chases, prison violence—and inspiring, as he uses entrepreneurial grit to subvert cycles of criminality and incarceration. The discussion shines a light on both the ingenuity fostered by gray markets and the failings of the American criminal justice system, while offering hope for rehabilitation and equitable opportunity through social enterprise.

For more on black markets and their hidden impact on the global economy, stay subscribed to The Hidden Third.