Running Drugs for the Cartel

Summary

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VIEWS with David Dobrik & Jason Nash

Episode: Running Drugs for the Cartel
Date: November 11, 2025

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Episode Overview

This riveting episode of VIEWS invites Owen Hansen and former USC football player turned cartel logistics “quarterback” Dave (Cartel Insider) to detail Dave’s wild double life: from college athlete to massive bookie, to money-launderer, to ultimately running millions for a notorious Mexican drug cartel. The conversation unpacks the highs and terrifying lows of drug trafficking, the logistics of laundering, outsmarting law enforcement, survival tactics when the cartel comes calling, and the surreal transition from laundering cash to selling protein ice cream after a federal prison sentence. The hosts and guests toggle between humor, disbelief, and fascination, delivering a jaw-dropping, cinematic account with dark undertones and a dash of comic relief.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. From USC Star to Criminal High-Roller

• Dave's Background:

  • Played at USC during their championship era (2003–2005) alongside Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart. ([01:58])
  • Did not make it to the NFL; saw friends getting rich and pivoted to bookmaking, leveraging his university connections. ([02:50])
  • “I was like, man, I know all these athletes and I know all these rich kids. I'm going to become a bookie.” — Dave ([02:50])

• Bookmaking escalates:

  • Started attracting big bettors, including athletes and wealthy clients, eventually handling international action.
  • Accidentally took on a high-profile cartel lieutenant as a client, receiving $250,000+ in cash weekly. ([03:44])

2. First Brush with the Cartel

• VIP Cartel Customer:

  • Confirmed cartel connections after an encrypted BlackBerry was sent for contact.
  • “It was this BlackBerry … three passwords, no mic, no camera, no GPS. … this cartel member says, I like the way you do business.” — Dave ([04:59])

• Money-Laundering & Trust:

  • Began moving large cash sums for a 10% cut, rationalizing he wasn’t “doing anything illegal,” just hustling.
  • Eventually transported a million dollars in cash from Texas, earning $100k in a day.
  • “Like a son of a construction worker making 100 grand a day. That's unheard of.” ([07:14])

3. The Australian Cocaine Ring

• The Big Ask:

  • Cartel solicited Dave to move coke in Australia, where prices and risk were astronomical ($300/gram, life sentences for 2.5kg+). ([09:38])
  • Partnered with an old Italian mobster to secure distribution; recounted a nerve-wracking meet at the Four Seasons Sydney, inspecting a 10kg “sample.”
  • “I'm so nervous. … I don't want to touch this … this is a life sentence. … There's 10 kilos of pure cocaine.” ([11:12])

• Distribution & Payout:

  • Cocaine in, cash out — literally millions stacked in a tiny apartment, cash stashed in dishwashers, microwaves, cupboards. ([13:10])
  • “I'm panicking. I'm putting money in my cupboards of the kitchen. I got my dishwasher stacked with millions.” — Dave ([13:10])

4. Laundering Millions: The Casino Gambit

• Casino Laundering Scheme:

  • Hired a Vegas blackjack high-roller to turn the dirty money into casino chips, then legitimate checks.
  • “He arrived in Sydney, Australia, and I give him 1.5 million dollars. … He just laundered the money, just like that.” ([17:19])

• Disaster Strikes:

  • The high-roller loses $2.5 million in one night, then panics and calls the police, who discover $700k cash.
  • “I just lost 700 grand in $2.5 million of the cartel's money within 24 hours.” ([20:36])

5. Facing the Cartel

• Moment of Truth:
  • Summoned to Mexico by “El Jefe,” convinced he’d die:
    • “I knew I was going to get killed … I said, if I get shot, I'm at least going to go down in peace.” ([21:37])
    • Pickup by sicarios in a bulletproof Suburban; a shut-down lobster restaurant for their meeting ([24:15])
    • El Jefe increases Dave’s debt (“You owe me 4 million now”) but spares his life, demanding repayment and more work.
    • “I'm not going to kill you because you owe me 4 million and you now work for the cartel.” ([24:51])

6. Smuggling 2.0: Cocaine in Wine Bottles

• Getting Creative:
  • Devises new smuggling technique by dissolving cocaine into white wine bottles; Australian chemist rebonds it to powder. ([27:16])
  • “I'm gonna bring cocaine in through wine bottles … turn it into liquid form, and I need your chemist to break it back.” ([27:16])
  • “It worked. … The chemist brought it back … we have 95% of the quality.” ([29:36])

7. The Feds Close In

• FBI Infiltration:

  • FBI investigates, plants undercover agents posing as Swiss bankers to offer laundering services.
  • “We’re using this money laundering guys now. … I'm dropping off $500,000 ... and these agents are giving me $500,000 cash.” ([34:25])
  • Dave grows suspicious over low laundering rates but presses on.

• The Bust:

  • Set up during a golf game: “I turn around. Fifteen FBI agents come out of the bushes. There's a helicopter in the sky. Put your hands in the air.” ([40:05])
  • Relief upon arrest: “It was finally over, man. … It was like the biggest relief.” ([40:21])

8. Prison, Loyalty, and Reinvention

• Post-Arrest Fallout:

  • Dave refuses to snitch, gets charged with RICO; 23 associates arrested.
  • Sentenced to 21 years, serves 10 years.
  • After testifying against a crooked lawyer, gets his sentence cut.
  • Remains loyal: “I'm not gonna sign a death certificate.” ([42:09])

• Entrepreneurial Pivot: Prison Ceviche & Ice Cream

  • Invents “California Ice Protein” in prison using peanut butter jar shakes left to freeze in salty ice, resulting in protein ice cream. ([46:26])
  • “I think I found my new hustle. I'm buying salt from every person that has salt. … selling these things frozen for 15 and calling them protein ice cream.” ([46:50])

9. Reflections and Aftermath

• Relationship with Cartel Post-Prison:
  • El Jefe’s people frequently extended respect, support during incarceration. ([47:44])
  • Never reveals the cartel’s identity: “I don't ever mention the cartel I work for. And I don't ever mention him. Wow. I'm never going to tell you or Natalie or Jason.” ([48:14])
  • Entertaining meetings with movie producers (Wolf of Wall Street, Entourage) to adapt his story. ([50:44])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dave summarizes his criminal entry:
  • “What am I doing illegal? I'm just a hustler.” — [06:06]
• On managing massive sums:
  • “I'm sitting on like, 10 million in my apartment. … Laying on my bed going, what am I gonna do?” — [13:10]
• His pivotal plan:
  • “It came in Australia. The wine store got it. My buddy said, bro, it made it. He says, that was awesome, … it worked.” — [29:01]
• Confronted by El Jefe:
  • “You don't owe me 3.2 million anymore. I'm charging you interest. You owe me 4 million. But I'm not going to kill you because you owe me 4 million and you now work for the cartel.” — [24:51]
• On facing arrest:
  • “It was finally over, man. It was like the biggest relief.” — [40:21]
• Post-prison hustle:
  • “Life gives you cocaine. Make ice cream.” — Natalie [52:51]

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Important Timestamps

• 01:58 – Dave’s USC football background
• 03:44 – First major cash interactions with cartel clients
• 04:59 – Encrypted phone: establishing direct cartel connection
• 06:37 – $1 million Texas cash run; the rush of big payouts
• 11:12 – Four Seasons, Sydney: “sample” 10kg cocaine hand-off
• 13:10 – Millions stashed in apartment: “panicking”
• 17:19 – High-roller casino laundering scheme set in motion
• 20:36 – $2.5M lost at casino, panic, and law enforcement closing in
• 24:51 – The defining conversation with El Jefe
• 27:16 – Smuggling innovation: cocaine in wine bottles
• 34:25 – FBI’s infiltration via the “Swiss bankers”
• 40:05 – Dave’s arrest, golf course FBI takedown
• 42:09 – RICO: loyalty under pressure, mass arrests
• 46:26 – The prison-born protein ice cream business
• 47:44 – Cartel communication and respect post-prison
• 50:44 – Talks of movie adaptation in the works
• 52:51 – “Life gives you cocaine. Make ice cream.”

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Tone & Style Notes

• The narrative is fast, animated, and candid — blending dark crime tales with self-effacing humor and incredulity.
• Dave’s tone: part streetwise entrepreneur, part survivor, always conscious of risk and reward.
• Panel/hosts: Alternately shocked, amused, and awed; they keep the tone conversational and irreverent, while asking incisive questions.

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Where to Find More

• Dave’s Brand: californiaiceprotein.com
• Social Media: @TheOfficialCAKid and @CaliforniaIceProtein

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This episode delivers a wild but true saga—sports, crime, survival, betrayal, innovation, and rebirth—told in Dave’s own words, with all the adrenaline, paranoia, and audacity that came with running drugs for the cartel.

Transcript

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[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Views.

[Natalie]

What's up, guys? Welcome back to Views. Ij Take it away.

[Jason]

Jason's.

[Natalie]

This is gonna be probably Jason's favorite podcast of all time.

[Owen Hansen]

Well, it's a story that has everything, David.

[Natalie]

Yes.

[Owen Hansen]

It's got everything. It's got the cartel.

[Natalie]

You had me at cocaine.

[Owen Hansen]

It's got cocaine.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah, a lot of that.

[Owen Hansen]

And this is Owen Hansen. He's the star of a new documentary on Amazon that I just watched called Cocaine Quarterback. Dave, his story is insane.

[Natalie]

Okay, so now, now that I'm seeing you, I think I have, I've seen. Is it clipped a lot on TikTok?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

That's what I hear, basically.

[Owen Hansen]

Dave, he was a quarterback for usc.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Tight end. Tight end.

[Owen Hansen]

You were tight end.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

The reason they call it Cocaine Quarterback. Because they say I was a card. I was the quarterback for the cartel. As far as logistics.

[Owen Hansen]

Right.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Handling the logistics. Which is true. I was the shot caller.

[Owen Hansen]

So you're. He's, he's, he's at usc. He's part of two national championships. Right. Which is insane.

[Natalie]

How long ago is this? Paint the picture for me.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

2003 to 2005, when I played on the football team, won the back to back national championships, big years with like Reggie Bush. Liner was a quarterback. He was dating Paris Hilton. Reggie Bush was our running back. He was dating Kim Kardashian.

[Natalie]

Wow.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Okay. Like the fucking team. What?

[Natalie]

At usc?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yes.

[Owen Hansen]

And there's no, there's no professional football in la.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Just everybody, every sorority curled out like, whoa.

[Natalie]

That'S really funny. Wow. Okay, so what an incredible team.

[Owen Hansen]

And there's no, there's no LA football at that time. There's no NFL in la. So like the USC game is everything for people in la.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah, we had like Snoop Dogg there, Denzel Washington, Will Farrell.

[Owen Hansen]

I mean, I think the, the main starting point is he's how you eat.

[Natalie]

Yeah.

[Owen Hansen]

He's on this national team and they're, they're like doing great. And he graduates college and he's like, all his buddies are going on to play in the NFL contracts and he's like, what the am I going to do, right?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

What the am I going to do to fit in right? Wow. My fraternity brothers are getting million dollar contracts with their dads because they own the company. My, my teammates are making 20 million dollar contracts playing in the NFL. I was like, man, I know all these athletes and I know all these rich kids. I'm going to become a bookie.

[Natalie]

Wow.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

And so when I had these clients, I'd bring all the athletes and they're like, man, we're betting on these guys, watching them play on Sundays and we're, we're here hanging out, drinking a beer with them. So everyone's like, man, you're the best bookie ever.

[Natalie]

Oh, that's awesome. And a lot of these connections were through usc.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah. And then I got so big, I said, you know what, let's turn this up a notch. Let make this Beto Dog International. I want to go worldwide. And unbeknownst to me, I went international and one of my agents ended up getting a cartel. A lieutenant for the cartel. I'm not going to name the cartel. But he ended up getting this, this lieutenant gambling with me. And the guy the first week lost $250,000 and he paid me in cash.

[Natalie]

Wow.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

The next week, 240,000 he paid me in cash.

[Natalie]

And where is this happening in LA still?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

I'm getting paid in the US in la. I'm living in the Hollywood Hills. This guy's in Mexico. I don't know where. I'm, I don't care. I'm just getting these bags of cash dropped off. I don' anything about it. I'm just like, wow, this is a VIP customer. Let's make him keep him happy.

[Natalie]

This is your first taste of the cartel was through your gig gambling?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yes, exactly.

[Natalie]

Okay.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

And then what happened was he finally hit for, I think it was like 220,000. He hit a five team parlay with the Raiders on a Sunday. And I remember I called the bookie that brought him in. I said, hey, this guy's going to hit. We got to pay him right away. He goes, why? I said, if we pay him on Monday, he's going to see that we're legit. And if we pay them on Monday. No bookies pay on Mondays. They wait till, like, Thursday. So we paid a Monday morning at 8am and the guy was like, wow, who is this bookie? Like, he want to know about me. So he. He sent this. This agent, this sub bookie, an encrypted phone. And he gave him this encrypted phone and says, whoever that bookie is, I want to talk to him. And for your viewers that can't see the encrypted phone, it's basically a BlackBerry. And it has no microphone, has no camera, and no GPS. It's basically an email. It was this BlackBerry, you know, and there's three passwords, and you get into it, and this cartel member says, I like the way you do business.

[Natalie]

Are you texting with him or calling?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

It's. You can't call. The microphone's taken out. Oh, dial out. It's just. It's basically a email. And that's it.

[Natalie]

Oh, it's just.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah, it's just to him, direct contact. No one else.

[Natalie]

Oh, my God.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

And he says, I like the way you do business. He goes, I've never seen a bookie pay someone on a Monday. He goes, can you help me out? And like I said, I was this concierge. Like, I was willing to do anything for anybody that gambled with me, especially if you're a whale. So whatever this guy wants, I'm willing to do. He's like, hey, I need help dropping off money in the United States to help pay for some of my stash houses and whatnot. I'm like, okay, whatever you need. He's like, to incentivize it. Every time you drop off money, I'm going to give you 10 return on your money. And I got money everywhere because I'm this big bookie in the US So I got money in every state. So he'll be like, hey, I need a hundred grand dropped off at a stash house in San Diego. I'm like, two hours later, I have it dropped off. One of my workers drops it off. He goes, all right, good work. Where do you want 110,000 wired? Because he's paying me 10%. Sure. I'm like, I want 110 wire to Costa Rica, because that's where my sports gambling office is. So now I'm just, like, laundering money for this cartel. And then he goes, how are you feeling about this?

[Natalie]

Initially, I feel good.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

10% on your money. That's a great return on your money, right? Like, what am I doing illegal? I'M not breaking the law. I'm just a hustler. And then he goes, this is the. This is when I really knew he was with the cartel. He sent me an encrypted message saying, hey, I need you to pick up a million dollars cash. And it's in Texas. We're. We're not welcome there. It's. It's with our rival. It's our rival's neighborhood. So this cartel I work for couldn't go in that area, so I had to fly over there, pick up a million dollars cash, and fly back. And he gave me $100,000.

[Natalie]

That's ridiculous.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

So I'm 24 years. At 24 years old. I've never been on a private plane, but I'm calling all these people he. A private plane. I pay the private plane 20,000, and I pick it up and I. I make 80,000 off the transaction in less than eight hours. I'm like, man, this is awesome. Wow. And I just keep chasing this rush, right?

[Natalie]

And I'm like, okay, Transaction went totally fine.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah. He's like, man, he goes, wo. You do amazing work. He goes, I've never seen someone work so. So good. What's wo means in Spanish? White boy, little light, like, pale skin.

[Natalie]

Like, this guy's just gassing you up, take you to the next level.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

He's doing his job. He knows what he's doing. Yeah, but I'm having fun.

[Natalie]

Yeah.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Like a son of a construction worker making 100 grand a day. That's unheard of.

[Natalie]

100.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

And then he says, you're doing really well. How would you like to make a million dollars a day and do the same thing you're doing in America, but in Australia? And I'm like, a million dollars a day. Like, I've never even seen a million dollars besides this one on the plane. And he goes, I got product in Australia, and I need you to move it. And I'm like, what kind of product? He's like, I got cocaine, and I got cocaine by. By the ton.

[Natalie]

Wow.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah.

[Natalie]

So I was like, already sitting in Australia.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

So I'm not in Australia yet. I'm in America, right?

[Natalie]

Yeah.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

So I'm thinking, okay, how am I going to figure this one out, Right?

[Owen Hansen]

Wait, wait. You've got to get cocaine into Australia, which is tough.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

It's already in. It's already sitting in there. Sorry. That's because it's already sitting there, and he needs me to move it. He doesn't have the clientele, and he needs me to move the money. Around. So I'm like, I'm gonna figure it out. A million dollars a day, Right? Interesting. So I literally reached out to every contact I had, and eventually it was a USC contact that his brother was in the international weed business. And I. I met him and I said, dude, I need someone that's international, that has some kind of tie with the cocaine business. He's like, I'll introduce you to this guy, but he's an old Italian gangster. I don't know if he's gonna. He might be retired. And I. I literally meet this. This international kingpin that's. We used to work for the Luc Casey family, which is a mob. Mob in New York. In. This Italian guy I meet in San Diego, and he's like, hey, I'm not talking anything in America. He goes, I've been arrested, indicted, and I'm not talking in the US I'm not going to talk on u. S. Soil. So I fly to Naples, Italy. I'm like, holy, what have I gotten myself into? But I'm still thinking about that million dollars a day.

[Natalie]

Yeah.

[Owen Hansen]

Is there any part of you that was scared to go into this line of work?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Listen, I. My idea was I was just gonna not touch it. Like, I'm not.

[Natalie]

Like, you're just an accounting guy.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

I'm just gonna be the guy that goes, okay, you touch that and you grab that, and I'll handle the money from here. Like, I. That. That's how my mindset was working.

[Natalie]

Yeah. You're not guilty.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

What's wrong with that? I'm just a banker. I finally flew to Italy, and he. He literally laughed at me. He says, you're out of your mind, kid. There's no way in hell anybody has cocaine in Australia. It's impossible. It's the hardest place in the world to get it into.

[Natalie]

Yeah, we've been there.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

It is tough. 300. It's $300 a gram. And it tastes like.

[Owen Hansen]

They just have the strictest laws.

[Natalie]

Right.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Two and a half kilos or more and you got a life sentence.

[Owen Hansen]

Wow.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Wow.

[Natalie]

Really?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Wow. So I said, I was thinking about that million dollars a day, Natalie. I said, man, what am I going to do to get that money right? I'm determined now.

[Owen Hansen]

But you're. You're. You're tasked with one of the hardest things in the world that other people can't do.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah. I mean, the car.

[Owen Hansen]

No one's been able to figure it out.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah.

[Owen Hansen]

How to get drugs in there.

[Natalie]

Well, no, he. The drugs are in there. It's just getting the Money out. Which is why I'm confused. Like, how did the cartel get the drugs in there?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

So what happened was what I found out was one of their networks over there got busted, so he had to call in a favor.

[Natalie]

Okay.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

So he. He called Mr. Move, me, Shaker, and Baker, that's in California, hustling. And he's like, hey, can you. Do you have anyone in Australia? I'm like, when he said, a million dollars a day, I said, yeah, I got someone over there, sure. Like, I lied to him and I figured it out, right? I. I literally fly to Australia and. And this Italian, he says he's not believing me. He's like, I'm not going over there until you see it with your own eyes. And I got there and I call him. I go, I see it. I didn't see it. I lied. I'm like, it's here. You got to get back. Get over here. And he's. He's like, all right, I'm coming. And he comes, and el jefe, this. This cartel boss goes, all right, wo. He says, go get a hotel at the Four Seasons. It's in Sydney. He says, as soon as you get a room there, I want you to give me the room number and I'll have a package dropped off for you. So I tell. I tell this Italian gangster, I said, come on, we're getting in a room in. In Sydney at the Four Seasons. And we get there, and we're in room 428. And I put the Italian in the room next to me. 4:26. And I tell El Jefe, I said, Hey, 4:28. Like, 10 minutes later, there's a package dropped off. This guy's wearing like a DHL outfit, and he drops off this box, and I. I'm so nervous. I'm like, knocking. Hey, get over here. Like, hurry up. Like, I don't want to touch this. Yeah, this is a life sentence. I was freaking out. And he. He opens up the package, and there's 10 kilos of pure cocaine. And we're like, holy. The gangster looks at me, goes, you weren't lying, kid. And he literally sliced it up.

[Natalie]

I'm sorry. 10 kilos to pounds. Just so I can.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

So you. Oh, so. So a kilo is 2.2 pounds. So that's 22 pounds of cocaine.

[Natalie]

Wow.

[Owen Hansen]

Wow.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

And we're talking big money kilo. A wholesale. Just wholesale to keep in mind is 150, 000 per kilo.

[Jason]

Oh.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

So I'm sitting on 1.5 million. Now that's wholesale, retail on that, over 5 million. So I have a thousand grams in each kilo.

[Natalie]

Yeah.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

So I have, I have, you know, what is that 10,000 grams sitting there? If that makes. It breaks you down for your. Your viewers. So literally, this, this Italian gangster says, give me a half an hour. And he, he came back and he had a bag of cash, a million and a half. And, and a million was for me, and 500, 000 was for him. And he couldn't believe it. He's like, man, he says, son, you were not lying. He goes, I, I now how do we get some more, right? And so I'm on this encrypted phone, and I'm messaging el jefe, and I said, hey, I. I got the million dollars that was owed for us. He says, well, I'll have 20 more dropped off tomorrow. Right? So now, now we have 20 more kilos, 40, 44 pounds of cocaine, all.

[Owen Hansen]

From the four seasons.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

The four seasons. And the next day, another 20 kilos, and next getting 2 million. 2 million. 2 million. And it's just getting dumped on me. And a million goes to me, and a million goes to this cartel boss because we're splitting it. I'm like, holy. And now I'm thinking, okay. I'm like, okay, where do you want to pick it up? He says, just. Just keep it at your apartment. I'm. I'm staying at this apartment in Darling harbor, and I got this little studio, probably the size of this movie room we're in.

[Natalie]

I know it's not the biggest movie.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

So I'm panicking. I'm putting money in my cupboards of the kitchen. I got my dishwasher stacked with millions. I got my microwave full of millions.

[Natalie]

You have the cash and you're having the kilos delivered to you, right?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

No. No. So I'm holding the cash in my actual apartment, and the kilos are just literally coming to me. Within 30 seconds, I'm giving it to this Italian gangster.

[Natalie]

Oh, he's.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

He's cashing it out. He has the contacts to buy the product.

[Natalie]

Okay, so he comes about the same time the kilos come to you.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

No, he's next door. I put him right next door because I don't want to move with it. I don't want to transport the coke anywhere. I'm so fucking scared. I literally held that Coke for 30 seconds, and it was out of my hands. Okay? Now I'm like, okay, I'm sitting on like, 10 million in my apartment. I got it everywhere, and I'm literally laying on my bed going, what am I gonna do? Like, okay, el jefe. I'm messaging him. Okay, when are you gonna have some people pick this up? And he goes, wedo. Did you forget? He goes, I'm paying you a million dollars a day. It's your job to figure out how to get the money out of Australia.

[Natalie]

Oh, wow, Jay. You know what I love doing when I'm not doing the podcast?

[Owen Hansen]

Going on the seatgeek app.

[Natalie]

How did you know? It literally feels like he's reading my mind sometimes. What am I thinking about right now? Three, two, one.

[Owen Hansen]

Seatgeek app.

[Natalie]

Yes. Yeah. Which is why I want to give the sponsor of today's video, seatgeek, a huge shout out. Jay, fill in the blanks. Let's just see how well you know this ad.

[Sponsor Voice]

Yeah.

[Natalie]

With over blank million downloads.

[Owen Hansen]

Oh my God. With over 500 million downloads, 35 million downloads.

[Natalie]

SeatGeek is the Blink Premiere number one rated ticketing app. There are more than blank events listed on SeatGeek. 4,000 70,000, including concerts, sports, festivals, and more. Jake, you know you can go on seatgeek. They give you a rating of the price of a ticket from 1 to 10. So you know you're getting a good deal. You look for the green. The green dots mean good, and then the red dots mean bad. With the holiday season just around the corner. I mean, the best gift you could get somebody is an experience. So I think you should.

[Owen Hansen]

It's the best gift.

[Natalie]

So give somebody tickets because they'll remember it forever. So you can give the gift of tickets this year and use code VIEWS10 for 10% off your SeatGeek tickets. That's 10% off tickets with promo code VIEWS10. So you make sure you click the link in the description to download the app. Have the code automatically added to your account so you can use it later. Thank you.

[Owen Hansen]

Se.

[Natalie]

That's code views 10 for 10% off tickets.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

You know what happens here, right?

[Owen Hansen]

Yeah.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

So I. I literally start thinking of ideas and I'm sending money back and gold coins. I'm putting them in ugg boots. At the time, uggs were really popular. So I'm putting gold coins in the bottom of the ugg boots. Sending ugg boots out. €500 note at the time was worth like 750. And I'm putting them in comic books and mailing them to p O. Boxes.

[Natalie]

Well, how much money can you fit in an ugg boot?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Exactly. That's 12,000 bucks in gold. It's not doing. It's not even putting it down.

[Natalie]

Oh, what? That's.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

It's nothing. And so I'm like, what am I gonna do?

[Natalie]

And this is over. How long are you in Australia like this?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

I'm only in there a month. I'm sitting on 10 million in a month.

[Natalie]

Oh, that's really serious.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah. So I'm like, panicking.

[Natalie]

Gotta buy real estate in Australia.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

I thought of real estate, but I thought of, like, what could go faster. Like, we need something fast because the coke keeps coming in. And I had to, like, stop everything because I need to figure out how am I going to get the money out. I can't just get a private plane. They check, right? You can't get a boat. They check. So I'm like, okay, a gambler. I need a blackjack player. I need someone to come that plays on the tables. That is, they can play that. Someone that's like a high roller. I found a high roller in Las Vegas who's very known for. For blackjack, and he agreed to do it for 25%. So his idea was he's going to come over, he's going to have his casino host from Vegas called the casino in Australia. They're going to say, hey, I got a high roller coming over to Sydney, Australia. He has a bunch of cash. He wants to gamble and play some blackjack at the Star Casino. So this guy arrives in Sydney, Australia, and I give him one and a half million dollars. And him and I made an agreement. Whatever he. He gets, he cleans it through the casinos, and I pay him 25% commission. So he's got these casino chips, and he's. He's literally playing a couple of hands at a time. 20,000 here, 20,000 there. And he's playing, and he tells the blackjack dealer, hey, you know what? I'm not feeling it. Cash me out.

[Natalie]

Sure.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

So what do they do? They give him back his chips. He takes his chips to the cage, and he says, hey, I'm not feeling it. I'm going to go back to Vegas. I'm not feeling it. So what do they do? They issue him a check. Now, in Vegas, there's a sister casino called the Venetian, which is the same casino owners as the Star Casino in Australia. So now he has a check for the Venetian. He goes, flies back to Vegas with his check for one and a half million, and he says, hey, I'm here. I'm Mr. High Roller. So they give him chips, cash, whatever he wants. He just laundered the money, just like that. He brought it from Australia into the US from me. Took his commission. He calls me in the U.S. he says, Hey, I got your money minus my commission. Boom. He paid me cash. Everything was gravy. I was like, sweet. This, this, this dude's the man. He says, can we do it again? I said, absolutely. He comes back, I give him a suitcase of two and a half million this time, 24 hours. He calls me, he says, we got a problem. Like, what do you mean we got a problem? He goes, I just lost 2.5 million on the blackjack table. I said, wait a minute here. You didn't have any 2.5 million to lose. You had 2.5 million and you had a 25% commission. That's all you could lose, lose. I said, what do you mean you lost? So literally, I have this personal trainer slash bodyguard with me. And I said, dude, we're going to the casino. We got to figure out what the hell happened. And we put on these three piece suits. We look like these gangsters, and we show up there, and this guy's shaking like a leaf, and we're like, dude, I think he really lost it. He's nervous and he's like, oh, no, I lost it, man. I got 300, 000 left at the hotel room. I said, you know what? You're gonna go get the 300 grand and you're gonna get your passport and you're gonna bring it back right now. Because I don't trust you. And I need that 300 grand because I'm panicking now. Like, this is not even my money.

[Natalie]

Y.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

He says, okay, I'll get, I'll go get the 300 and I'll get my passport. I said, okay. I said, meet us at the Hilton hotel. I'm going to get a room there and I'm going to call you in an hour with the room number. I want you to come to that hotel room and come to that hotel, and we're going to figure this out right now because you're not going, you're not leaving. You're staying here until we resolve this. And he's scared, right? He's nervous. Unbeknownst to me, he calls the cops and, and he says, hey, there's a guy at the Hilton hotel that has a gun in his room.

[Natalie]

Oh, my God, Yes.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Okay, so we call him and we tell him, hey, we're in 3026 and that's the room number. We expect you to come. He hasn't came for like four hours. So now we're like, it, let's go. Back to my studio. I said, we'll just go back, we'll just chill, pop a couple Xanax, drink some wine, and just wait for this guy to call. So we get back to my hotel, my apartment, in my, my bodyguard slash trainers there, and I go, hey, I'm gonna give you 700 grand. And when that guy comes with the 300, that's gonna make it an even million. I said, let's just take the million. Just take it to your house so we can just stash it away. I'm kind of scared now. Yeah, I'm paranoid. He's like, all right. So I send him back with the 700 grand, and he goes back to the hotel room thinking, this guy's going to come eventually with the 300 grand. But like I said, we remember he called the police. So we don't know this. He gets back to the hotel room, and right when he gets there, there's four police waiting for him. They're like, we had a call from an American that you had a gun in your room. We need to go to your room and check your room. Oh, but for the meantime, we need to search your suitcase, sir. They open it up, and there's 700 grand there. So now I just lost 700 grand in $2.5 million of the cartel's money within 24 hours.

[Natalie]

Yeah.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

I'm like, holy. And now I'm panicking. Like, full blown panicking. Like, what am I going to do? How am I going to get this back? I need to get out of Australia. This shit's going to hit the fan soon.

[Natalie]

You're not close enough to this cartel guy to just literally explain to him what happened.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Listen, I can't even call the guy. I'm on a encrypted cell phone. I can't even get a face.

[Owen Hansen]

We've played pickleball before.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

We're birds.

[Owen Hansen]

We're tight, right?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah, yeah. So now I panic. See, I'm literally panicking, man. I, I, I'm like, okay, I got to get back to America. And el jefe, he literally texts me. He doesn't know I've lost his money. He goes, hey, I need you to drop off 3 million. I'm like, oh. I write him back. I said, I need to see you in person. He says, all right, well, I can't come to America. So I. He's a wanted man. I'm like, all right. He goes, you got to come to Mexico. I'm like, okay, this is it. I'm dead. I'm dying. I'M going into this meeting and I'm going to. At least I'm going in. I know I'm going to get killed. I'm going to get killed right there. And it's over with, right? I don't have to worry. So that was what my mindset. This is where you asked if I was scared. I was. Yeah. I was. Yeah.

[Natalie]

Did you fly private?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

No, I drove. It was two and a half hours. Took five Xanax, three bumps of cocaine to shot a ghb, and like three Vicodin. I said, if I get shot, I'm at least go down in peace.

[Natalie]

Were you hoping you were going to crash the car before?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

No, I was just.

[Natalie]

Were there any thoughts of suicide at this point?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

No. I figured I was going to get killed, so that was close enough. Like, I could have ran from them.

[Natalie]

No, no. 100%.

[Owen Hansen]

Yeah.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

That's what my mind is like. Okay. I run from him and then I'm worried my whole life that's worse. Or I just go and face the music. And if he kills me, he kills me. I would think the worst, though. Like, you're gonna get, like, tortured or something when you're there like that. But listen.

[Natalie]

But yeah, like, death wouldn't scare me. Death would be, like, the best case scenario in this story, in this situation. But, like, going to cartel seems like he's gonna feed me my own penis. Like, it just feels like something really bad can happen.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

My mindset was literally like. Like, if this guy sees I'm telling the truth, maybe he'll want to do business.

[Natalie]

No, you're right.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah.

[Owen Hansen]

Wow.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Like, that's. That's kind of the person I am. As long as I be honest and put my thinking cap on, right?

[Natalie]

Yeah. Honesty is the best policy. Even with the cartel.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah, So I told him. I sat down, literally. This is so crazy. You remember this, Jason? I literally crossed this Mexican border and I got picked up by his sicarios. Sicario is basically a hitman for the cartel.

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[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Book [e-mail] and he had this bulletproof vehicle that picked me up. They rolled down the window and they said, get in the car. And I got in this car, this bulletproof Suburban. There was a driver with a holster and he had a handgun. And then when I turned around behind me there was two sicarios with AK47s and bulletproof jackets. I was like, this is it. They're going to just kill me and then they're going to just take my body and I'm done, right? Like this is, oh, it's over. They didn't kill me right there. They drive and sure enough, we get on this toll road and there's, there's another vehicle, bulletproof Suburban. And then right behind us, a bulletproof Hummer. And we have this like motor, motor crew. What do they call it?

[Owen Hansen]

Motorcade.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Motorcade. It's the first time I've had a motorcade since the, when we played at USC football. This is a hell of a lot different experience than the last motorcade I had. This time it's with the cartel. So we literally get into this restaurant called Porto Nuevo. And it's a private, it's a, it's a lobster town. And we get in there and this restaurant, world famous restaurant, is shut down. Like, no one's there. Wow. Like, I'm like, why is it shut down? Like this place is usually packed. He had the restaurant shut down. He had his six sicarios at the table, all with guns. He had two sicarios behind me with the AK47s.

[Owen Hansen]

Oh my God.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

And I literally faced this dude straight in the eyes. I looked at him and I just spilled the beans. I like, dude, I had 1.5. He cleaned it. Remember I gave you the million that day? He goes, yeah. Then I had 2.5. And I said, the guy lost it. He goes, I know he read all the articles in Australia. He did his homework. This was already in the newspaper in Australia. He knew everything about me. He knew where I lived, he knew where my girlfriend lived. He knew everything. He says, you don't owe me 3.2 million anymore. I'm charging you interest. You owe me 4 million. But I'm not going to kill you because you owe me 4 million and you now work for the cartel. Wow. I said, holy, I'm gonna live, man. Happy. I said, I made it. These two guys behind me are not gonna shoot me today. I was so fired up, man. I was like, yes, I'm gonna live. He goes. He goes, listen, what's gonna happen? I said, what? He says, you're gonna go back to your gambling business. He says, for two years, you're taking off. I said, why? He says, because that rat that called the cops is. I'm worried about him. He says, that guy's going to be a problem. And he goes, take two years off. Run your sports betting business. It's not that bad. It's. It's not really illegal. It's a gray area. He says, if the cops want to bust you for that, who cares? You'll do a couple years, right? I'm like, okay, I respect that. But he says, after two years, you're. You're going to work. You're going to pay me off. Wow. And I. I remember I literally working the sports betting and just thinking, like, how the am I gonna do this? And this was the kicker. He says, you're no longer going to have my cocaine in Australia. You're going to use my cocaine in America, and you're going to figure out your own way to get it into Australia. This is where. This is where we get creative. Oh, my God. How the am I going to feel like cocaine?

[Natalie]

That's really bad.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

That's the hardest place in the world, right?

[Owen Hansen]

It's incredible story is not. I mean, like, yeah, yeah.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

So I was like, okay, let me think about this one. Owen fucking did this one. So I'm like, how the fuck. For two years, literally, I'm stressing, like, how am I going to get it in there? And I go to meet this. This guy I did a little business with in Australia that helped me with the money. He was this kingpin from Australia. So I went to that Rolodex and I told the guy, hey, I can't come to Australia. You got to meet me somewhere else. So he met me in Fiji. So I go meet him. This is the kicker. I go meet him and I tell him, listen, I'm in the cartel. $4 million I owe him. I said, I'm going to get the product in America, and I got to figure out a way to get it into your country. And then once I get into your country, I'll let you move it.

[Natalie]

You.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

You move it all. He's like, all right, well, how are you going to get it in? And literally, I'm like, how the am I Going to get it in. And like, we were drinking wine, right? White wine in Fiji. We. We saluted. And I. I went like that. And I. My. The light bulb went off. I said, I'm gonna bring it. I'm gonna. That's it. I'm gonna bring cocaine in through wine bottles. He goes, how are you gonna do that? I said, do you have a chemist? He goes, yeah, I got a chemist. I said, I'm gonna turn it into liquid form, and I need your chemist to break it back and turn it back into powder. Oh, wow. He's like, well, let's try it. Right? So I fly back to America. I literally get into this bathtub, and I. I tell el Jefe, bring me 10 kilos. He brings me 10 kilos, and I. I pour this. It's called Everclear. It's an alcohol that's 150 proof. Yeah. And it's clear alcohol. So I order, like, 12 bottles of this Everclear, and I'm dumping it in this bathtub. And then I have. El jefe is 12 kilos, and I'm breaking it down. And I have this like. Or that's used for, like, paddle board. And I just bathtub fucking breaking down this cocaine and turning it into liquid. And then I call one of my workers that work for me, and I said, hey, go get me two cases of the. The darkest bottle you can find in Napa Valley. It has to be a white wine. I said, it has to be white wine, but I want the bottle to be, like, black, if you can find that. And we're literally pouring, just dumping this wine down the drain. And then I got this funnel, and I'm putting the funnel inside these wine bottles, and I'm it filling. Filling it up with this liquid cocaine now. Wow. Like this creamy white cocaine pasty. It's liquid.

[Owen Hansen]

Yeah.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Not.

[Owen Hansen]

Not the consistency of wine at all.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

I don't care. Right. It's just liquid. We know that the bottle's gonna shake like wine. And then I packaged it exactly how it came, and I made this runner of mine go back to Napa Valley. And I said, you're gonna ship this wine exactly. From that city that the wine came from.

[Natalie]

Wow.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

And put for the return address that. That address of the winery, and we're going to send it to a. A wine store in. In Australia that's going to receive it, because my buddy had a wine store that could receive it. Oh, wow. That was great. Yeah. Wow. So it came. It came in Australia. The wine store got it. My buddy said, Bro, it made it. He says, that was awesome. He goes, this is insane. I don't know how you pulled it off, but it worked.

[Owen Hansen]

So impossible day. Like, no one can get drugs in Australia.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

He's like, bro, this is insane. Insane. Like, he did it. And I was literally like, Dave, I was. I was like, okay, I'm gonna live. I'm gonna. I'm gonna live.

[Natalie]

I mean, you're gonna thrive.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah. So he. He literally said, hey, the chemist brought it back. And. And we have, you know, 909.5 kilos. So it was like, it was 95. Basically, the quality of cocaine, because he was. He was able to bring all of it back.

[Natalie]

Did anything change to get diluted a little bit?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

No. No. I mean, we lost 5%. What happens?

[Natalie]

95 of the amount or the.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah, so. So like a kilo has a thousand grams and we got 950 grams. Oh, wow. Okay. But it's nothing. I mean, it's peanuts compared because he's pressing it back into kilo. I sold to him for a million dollars and I kept 50 for towards my cut and 50 towards El Jefe's cut. So literally, we just started.

[Natalie]

You're still getting a cut of your own here.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah, like, I'm. I'm making my percentage and it's going towards him. But the problem is now we have to figure out a way to clean the money and get it back because remember how hard it was?

[Natalie]

Oh, my God.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

So my car, my kingpin over there is literally doing it very slowly. We. We don't know this, but the guy that called the cops is now working with the FBI. We don't know this, though, so we're just going to keep your viewers on. Just keep that in the back of your mind. The FBI has been watching me this whole time. I don't know this. The FBI actually flies to Australia and goes on a yacht party where my kingpin contact in Australia is. They start drinking, they start fucking doing lines of coke. Not the FBI, but my guys and these FBI agents infiltrate them, not knowing their FBI agents, but they're like, hey, mate, we're in the money laundering business. We do it for a living. Worse, we're Swiss bankers, right?

[Owen Hansen]

Wow.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

No one knows about this. You guys don't know about this because they don't tell about it on the documentary. So these. These guys are literally playing my boys over there. Like, you're. You're in the money laundry business. Man, what a perfect timing.

[Natalie]

Like, did they know the FBI know that you guys were looking for Money laundering or was this coincidence?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yes. No. They knew.

[Natalie]

Oh, wow.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah, they had our phones wires taps. And they're watching our movement for many years. For like four years. So they know where. They know we're having trouble getting the money back. So they went over there to act like they're these money Swiss bankers. It's in my book the California kid. But it's not in the dock. They send these guys over. They're American guys. They go golf with me in San Diego.

[Owen Hansen]

Oh my God.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Three guys. One guy says he's a Swiss banker. The other guy says he's a captain. The other guy says he has a accounts in Hong Kong. Right. And he does banking. Wow.

[Natalie]

Are they cool?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Cool as could be, man. They're. They're popping Viking with me. They're drinking tequila. They're gambling on sports on my website. I'm like, this is one of the boys, right?

[Natalie]

That's crazy.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah.

[Natalie]

I'm like, are you doing blow with them or not?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

They won't do blow. This. I should have figured that one out, huh? Like do a bumpy. That's how you find out. Yeah, do this bump right now.

[Jason]

This episode is brought to you by Disney. This Thanksgiving, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are back on the big screen. So grab your family and friends as Disney invites you to return to Zootopia for the Fur Nominal movie event of the holiday season. See all your favorite Zootopia characters, plus new favorites in the most paw esome movie of the year. Don't miss Disney Zootopia 2 when it hits theaters everywhere November 26th. Get your tickets now.

[Natalie]

Like, were you doing coke around them? Oh, yeah, dude, I did. They just said we don't.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

No, no, we don't. We just do the Vicodin. They were taking Vico though. That's what made me think about it. Vicodin they could get a prescription for. I'll tell you, this would should have been the test. If you ever think someone's an FBI agent. Yeah, this should have been the test. I took him to a strip. I asked him to go to a strip club. And this is how I figured it out. I was in Miami with him and I said, hey, do you want to go to the strip club? I said, my buddy owns it. They're like, oh, no, man, we're good. I'm like, are you guys gay? Like, what do you mean you don't want to go to the strip club?

[Natalie]

Like, it's a red flag.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Like, dude. I was like, what do you mean, bro?

[Owen Hansen]

You didn't you didn't go to the club last week.

[Natalie]

I may be. I'm gonna get more stories that weren't in the doc.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Exactly. So I'm like, dude, something's wrong here. Like, they're not going to the strip club with me. Right. So I'll tell you why they didn't go to strip club. Because I saw it years later. My discovery. They didn't go to the strip club because when you go to the strip club, you get a lap dance. And what does a stripper do? They rub on you. And these guys were wearing wires. Every conversation had a wire on them. Wow. So the reason they didn't go to the strip club, my lawyer said, is because when they take your shirts off at the strip club, they're going to be exposed. Their wires are going to be all there.

[Natalie]

Wow. Wow.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah. So they, they, they got to think about those little things.

[Owen Hansen]

Were you at 11?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

How did you know that's where I was at? That's not. I love 11.

[Natalie]

11'S the best.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

2 and 11 is awesome.

[Natalie]

That's.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

That's really funny. Goosebumps thinking about it. So go giving me goosebumps thinking about it. Bringing me back.

[Owen Hansen]

So the, the point in the doc that I love is when you actually pay the money back.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

I pay him back. So.

[Owen Hansen]

And you give it. You have a choice.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah, he gives me the choice. El jefe, the boss says, what do you want to do? I paid him back. Finally. We're using this money laundering guys now. We're using them all the time. These guys that were golfing.

[Natalie]

Wait, wait, sorry. You're using the FBI agents?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah, we remember, we don't know they're money laundering.

[Natalie]

Right.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

They're literally, I'm dropping off 500,000 in Australia in cash with their network and they're coming to America and they're golfing with me and these agents are giving me $500,000 cash minus their cut. I don't know.

[Natalie]

So the government is just, you know, until they can bust you big time.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yes. So they're waiting for me. That's crazy. Dude. We're golfing for six months straight. Like giving them millions of dollars a month. Dropping off money for gambling, dropping off money for the drugs.

[Natalie]

Were you more upset that you got busted or that you lost your golfing buddies?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

No, no, listen, listen, I'll say I was actually relieved. I. What were we going.

[Owen Hansen]

But you did have a choice.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

I paid him back. Literally, I paid him back the 4 million. And. And he's like, like, it's over. Like, what do you want to do. I mean, how can you say no?

[Natalie]

Yeah. Right.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

To a million dollars a day. Right. Like, and I felt like, to bring up your point, Jason, I felt like I owed these guys. Right? They. They gave me another chance at life. I should have been killed, right?

[Natalie]

Yeah.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Like, when he had those guys behind me, like, I should have been dead. And I was like, you know what? I started to feel like I owed him. Yeah.

[Owen Hansen]

Like Stockholm syndrome. Yeah.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

You know what? Like, I was. I was so, like. Like, these guys looked after me, and I was like, you know what? It. Let's keep going. Like I said, let's keep going. I like this.

[Owen Hansen]

I think it's incredible what you can accomplish when your life is on the line. When your life's on the line, it's.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Just like, dude, it's funny.

[Owen Hansen]

Anything.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

It's because, like. Like, I started this ice cream business from nothing.

[Owen Hansen]

Yeah. We should say Owen has an ice cream business called ice protein.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah. California ice protein.

[Owen Hansen]

And everyone loves it. It's fantastic.

[Natalie]

It's 15 grams, especially after you melt it down.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Before that.

[Owen Hansen]

Alex. Alex Ernst is raving.

[Natalie]

We're all off bouncing off the walls after cane ice cream.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

That's going to be a shake by the time you eat it.

[Owen Hansen]

I'm a bite right now.

[Natalie]

Okay, so then.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

So. So I literally paid back the cartel, and they asked me, like, what do you want to do now? And I was like, it. Let's keep running it.

[Owen Hansen]

What would you do, Dave?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Dave. A million dollars a day. Private planes, chicks, yachts.

[Owen Hansen]

He gets chicks now.

[Natalie]

Well, I'm confused, though, because.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Don't be confused, because you're doing.

[Natalie]

You're doing a million a day, but it took six months to pay back. So are you back to a million a day?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

You got to remember, when you make that million of dollars a day, you got to remember there's commissions involved, there's exchanges, there's percentages. And you see how long it takes us to get the money back.

[Natalie]

Yeah.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Like, literally, like, when I make a million, el jefe is getting half of that. Right. So it's making a million dollars cash, but.

[Jason]

Right.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

By the time we divide it up and by the time it gets back, I mean, it literally took a month to get. Get money back. So you. You're not seeing it, like, every day like that. You know what I mean? Like. But you're stacking your chips.

[Natalie]

Yeah. Cartel's, like, one of my biggest fears, so I don't actually know. I feel like I'd probably.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

But what if they said, unless I.

[Natalie]

Like the guy, well, listen, it was.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Hefe, cool, I mean, cool for the, the day I met him. The day flew me back to bring girls from Hollywood over. I'd be like, he, he liked the party. Like, he, like, hey, bring some of those American girls over.

[Natalie]

Did you ever see anything extremely cartel?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

I mean, I saw it not actual like physically, but I saw like one of his guys had to end up killing someone over a, a 10, like 100 kilo bust. There was. So there's this guy that worked for him that provided him 100 kilos, and the kilos were cut with drywall. And the guy that provided him was one of his best workers. It was like equivalent to me, but in Mexico. Yeah. And he told the worker, he said, listen, whoever gave you this, it's either you're going to kill him or I'm going to kill you. And I was there that day and he's like, you know what to do. And literally the guy came back and said, and he's done. I took care of him.

[Natalie]

Like, wow.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

So I just like, these guys are powerful, right?

[Natalie]

Wow.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

So are you like his guy in the US I was his guy, yeah. Oh, wow.

[Natalie]

Does he live in a nice, in a nice house?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

What's the head Houses everywhere, man. Is he scary, 20? No, I mean, listen, he's, he's not scary to me because he's a regular person. Like, he's your height, but he has so much power. Like.

[Owen Hansen]

He'S really tiny.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

No, he's short. Like, listen, he's got the power he has. Like with all the sicarios of these private securities, just the army he has behind him.

[Natalie]

Like, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Like, that's scary to me. No doubt.

[Natalie]

I have more questions I just don't want to step on.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

No, no.

[Natalie]

The rest of the story.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

So, so literally I go back to work for him and I, I just keep making money and I, I have these golfers literally cleaning my money. And finally I, I, I remember El Jefe is like, dude, these guys that are cleaning your money, there's no way they're, they're cleaning it for half the price of everyone else. He says, that's a red flag. We used to pay 25. This guy is doing it for 12.

[Natalie]

Wow.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

He says, that's a red flag. And I said, well, they're doing good. Who cares? Let's keep doing it. Right? That was my point. Right? And I messaged him that night. I said, hey, I gotta, I'm going golfing tomorrow with them at 7 o' clock to discuss Our next money transfer of the half a million. We just landed in Australia. And he said, you're not going golfing with your. Your money laundering guys. Those are. Those are the feds. You're going golfing with a DE agent the night before.

[Owen Hansen]

Wow.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah, the night before.

[Owen Hansen]

Wow.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

On my encrypted phone, they have that discovery when they arrested me.

[Owen Hansen]

These guys know their.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

They know their for sure. So I get there, I go through the golf course, and the golf course is empty. 7 o' clock is not normal. This place is like 500 around. And I tell the caddy, he comes up and he says, Mr. Hansen, welcome. And he's shaking like a leaf. I go, what's the matter, caddy? I said, where is everyone? He's like, I don't know, Mr. Hansen. He's, like, shaking. He's nervous. I was like, oh. I give him my bag and I turn around. Fifteen FBI agents come out of the bushes. There's a helicopter in the sky. Put your hands in the air.

[Natalie]

Oh, my God.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Wow.

[Owen Hansen]

Damn. What year was that?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

That was 10 years ago. That was September 11th to September 9th, 2015. 15. Wow.

[Natalie]

Wow.

[Owen Hansen]

Unreal.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Unbelievable. Everyone's like, man, were you nervous? I said, no, I wasn't nervous. It was finally over, man. It was like the biggest relief.

[Owen Hansen]

Yeah.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

You think going to prison, you're scared, man. I was, like, relieved it was over. I no longer had to worry about working for them. I paid them back, you know, I did everything a man's supposed to do. Like, when you go to. How many.

[Natalie]

Sorry. How many months was it after you paid them back that you got busted where you continue?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Literally, like two months. It was fast. And I had chips stacked with him. I had, you know, millions and millions of dollars that he was sitting on for mine.

[Natalie]

Were the agents there that you golfed with?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah, they. They set me up. It was. They were in the clubhouse acting like they're waiting for me to golf.

[Natalie]

So they see them with your eyes?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

They arrested them. They pretended like this is how they do it. They arrested us. They put them in handcuffs. And then the agent that you know, the golfer. Don't say a word, Owen. They don't got on us. I'm like, this motherfucker thinks I'm stupid, man. Like, come on, Donnie. Brass handcuffs. They walk them. They take him to the same interrogation room in Carl's bed. I'm like this. He thinks I'm stupid. Oh, wow. Yeah, I was.

[Natalie]

So are they playing you guys against each other at that point?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Oh, they're trying. They're like, but you already told. I already know. I'm like this. I knew I smelled something from the get go. When it was 12 and a half percent. I smelled something when my buddies from Australia met him on the yacht. I knew, like, there. I felt there was something wrong. From the get go. Yeah, I knew it. I should have known it. But I just believe my friends over there, like, they. They believed it. And I was like, I'm just gonna run with it.

[Natalie]

And then through your arrest, how many people did they get?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

They arrested. So I. I got arrested that day, and then three months later, they got me on a racketeering, which is a rico. They got all the people in the gambling organization. So I had like 23 people arrested. They asked me, you got to give up the cartel. You got to tell us who you're working for, or we're. We're going to go get your wife. We're gonna do all this. They're like, dude, I ain't talking. You guys are crazy. I'm not gonna sign a death certificate. They're like, okay, it's going to get worse. And I didn't say shit. And three months later, they. They superseded me and they gave me a RICO indictment. And they arrested all my friends.

[Natalie]

Sorry, what does that mean?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Racketeering, influence, corrupt organizations. The. What they charged, like, the mafia for?

[Natalie]

So they just arrest your friends just by.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

So they rush all my friends for association. Everyone. Everyone. My accountant, my private investigator, my Lawyer, my. Everybody. 23 friends of mine, all arrested.

[Natalie]

Wow. Wow.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

And for. Well, then what they do is. And they scare them and they say, okay, you tell us everything and give us all Mr. Hansen's money, and if you don't, we're going to put you in jail. So that's what. That's how the government works. Damn.

[Natalie]

And then how long were they arrested for? Like a day or two or.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah, they go like a day. They stay in jail for a day until they get bail, and then they go sing like canaries and say, yeah, this is what I have, Mr. Hansen. They got my accountant, he said had like a. A million dollars in gold, a million dollars in cash, 2 million in silver. They're like, okay, you're his accountant. Well, where's all his money? And if you don't give us this money, we're going to put you in prison for 10 years.

[Natalie]

And then how long did you go to jail for?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

So I got sentenced to 21 years, and I ended up going for 10 years. Wow.

[Natalie]

Because you were chill.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

I mean, I wasn't Sure. I just fucking hated every minute of it.

[Natalie]

But no, but, yeah. How did you get out so much earlier?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Listen, the documentary tells it, right, Jason, do you want to tell it on the show or do you want to let them watch the documentary?

[Owen Hansen]

Yes. Why don't you tell them?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah, so there's an attorney that was in Australia that was representing me, and he tried to get me to go forward and take, get the money back, the cash that we got picked off. Remember that $700,000 cash? The attorney said, hey, if you go get the cash back, I'll get it back for you. He goes, I'll pay off the barristers. Barristers are like the judges. He goes, I'll pay them off, right?

[Owen Hansen]

That is how. Yeah.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

He says, I got a good story. We'll lie to them. And he goes, if you do that, I, I'll just give you half and you keep half for yourself. And I, I'll keep half for me. And I'm like, it. I, I just lost 3.2 million of the cartel's money. I could use any dollar, right? So I, I went with this story. This lawyer told me, it's my lawyer, and he's like, okay, let's tell him this story and we'll get the money back. So I go lie to the police. And I'm like, man, you guys are crazy. I can't go tell the police. He goes, no, mate, it's not a us matter. Don't worry. And I'm telling this, the police this fake story that was all made up. And literally when I got arrested, the first part of my discovery was that interview of me going to the police, making up the story. So this, they arrest this lawyer in Australia. He's. He's staying strong. He's not, he's not doing anything. He's taking it to trial, but I don't know it. For five years I'm in prison. And they, they come and get me out of prison. They said, hey, would you be willing to testify against your crooked lawyer? And if you testify, we might be able to cut your sentence. I'm like, fucking run it. Like, fuck it. Like, this is like the best thing in, in gambling. We call it a get back, right? Where you try to get your money back. And this guy got me practically indicted. He made me make up the story, right? Lie to authorities. Like, stuff you're not supposed to do, right?

[Owen Hansen]

How did you develop the ice protein in prison? I'm so curious.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Two, that's a great question. So in prison I became, I'm like, I like to hustle, right? I'm an entrepreneur. Like, so I started, like, a ceviche business. I would make ceviche, which is like, you know what ceviche is, right? And that hustle was good. And then one day, I was like, man, I need another hustle.

[Natalie]

I actually don't know what. Ceviche.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

No ceviche. You're not from California, huh? No. It's like a salsa with, like, fish in it. Like, raw fish.

[Natalie]

Oh, that's why I don't know. Okay.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah, it's terrified. Okay.

[Owen Hansen]

That's not your thing.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

It's a Mexico thing. So that was a hustle, right? And then. And then one day, I was really healthy. In prison, I would make protein shakes every day. And in prison, we don't have refrigeration. So we take a mop bucket. You know what a mop bucket is, right? So we take a mop bucket and we put ice in there, and we put, like, our sodas in there, our vegetables, whatever we need to keep cold.

[Natalie]

Wow.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

You know, I used to make these protein shakes, right? And I'd make them in a peanut butter jar, and I dump milk in there. I put a little protein powder from the commissary, a little peanut butter, little banana sliced up, and I'd shake them, and I'd throw it in the mop bucket. So after my workout up, I'd come to that mop bucket, and I drink my protein shake. Man, it was awesome. And one day, we ran out of ice. The ice machine broke down, and we had, like, just, like, two inches of ice left. And my celly, he says, man, just put some salt on there. And he says the salt will keep the ice cold. And he says, you don't need to go put any more ice. That'll last for, like, a couple hours. So I go to my workout, and I come back from the yard and I get my protein shake, and that motherfucker's locked up, man. I was so pissed off. I said, man, I can't even drink this thing, man. I was pissed, right?

[Owen Hansen]

Damn.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

He said, bro, just take the spoon and eat it like ice cream. Like, wait a minute. I was like, dude, we're on to something. This is like protein ice cream. He's like, dude, dude, I said, I think I found my new hustle. I'm buying salt from every person that has salt. I'm literally making protein shakes and selling these things frozen for 15 and calling them protein ice cream.

[Owen Hansen]

Dude, what I love about you is you just find incredible ways from putting Wine. You know, breaking the cocaine down is incredible. Doing the ice was. And then also, Dave, he went to. He went to USC on a volleyball scholarship.

[Natalie]

He was always pivoting.

[Owen Hansen]

He was great.

[Natalie]

He was great. Okay, that's enough of this.

[Owen Hansen]

He was great at volleyball.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Now I want you to teach me how to be a fucking influencer. I want to make somebody. Dude, I want to make somebody like this. This is great.

[Owen Hansen]

But then volleyball didn't work out, so he just.

[Natalie]

I'm also selling drugs, by the way, dude.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

I might. I might be doing some. Only fans pretty soon here. I can't figure this thing out.

[Owen Hansen]

Matt would buy it.

[Natalie]

Matt would probably buy it. So. Okay, so.

[Owen Hansen]

But then he walked on to the football team. Like, he keeps finding a way, you know? Sorry.

[Natalie]

Okay. Yeah, but has. Have you spoken now, Jefe, since.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

No, but listen, I got many messages from El jefe when I was incarcerated, from a lot of people that work for him. They would come to me.

[Owen Hansen]

Oh, my God.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

And they'd shake my hand, and they said, hey, the boss says, good work. And they would drop me off bags of, like, just goodies, like, coffee, shoes.

[Natalie]

Oh, wow.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Literally, every time I went to a different prison, I would have someone from that cartel.

[Natalie]

So he was very aware that you weren't ready.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Oh, yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah. He knew. Trust me. He's probably seen the documentary by now, for sure. Yeah. Wait, how does. Yeah.

[Natalie]

How did you. How did you. How are you, like, yeah, I'm gonna do a documentary.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Well, because I don't ever like you, Jason. You know, I don't ever mention the cartel I work for.

[Owen Hansen]

No, you don't.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

And I don't ever mention him. Wow. I'm never going to tell you or Natalie or Jason because. You sure it's not gonna happen?

[Owen Hansen]

No, Nat, we don't want to know. We want to stay.

[Natalie]

Cartel's listening. He didn't tell us. We don't know.

[Owen Hansen]

We don't want to know nothing.

[Natalie]

You guys can just keep doing your thing. Okay, so that's crazy. Is there ever. Well, I guess you can't go back to it.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

And you definitely not gonna go back to it.

[Owen Hansen]

What are you gonna do now?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

I'm gonna sell the ice cream. Like crack in the 80s. Ice cream. Where is approaching ice cream?

[Natalie]

I agree. I had this ice cream. It's delicious.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

His buddy had it at the.

[Owen Hansen]

The 24 Hour Fitness.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah. Burbank. That was like, my second location.

[Owen Hansen]

They can go to your website and buy it.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah. Direct to consumer.

[Natalie]

What's the website?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Californiaiceprotein.com. and we literally ship it to your doorstep. Damn, Amazon.

[Natalie]

How many kilos can you ship?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Dude, I have six cases. I make up my hundred dollars worth to make it worth my effort. Because it's expensive. Dude, dry ice is a. Yeah, well, business is tougher. This logistics is way harder than the cocaine. You got to think about it. 24 hours, I have to have it frozen.

[Natalie]

Yeah.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

So if I move a pallet of ice cream to New York, it has to be frozen -20 the whole time. If I move a pallet of cocaine in New York, I don't have to worry about the.

[Natalie]

How much. How much cocaine were you doing? You were moving it or were you not a big user.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Big co. Head, Dude. I literally. I would have an eight ball on me every day, and whoever I was with, I would like, here, let's have some, like. And, dude, I was an animal, really.

[Natalie]

Just throughout the day.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah, I would go golf. I'd do a bump. I'd go to Mao's or Mr. Chows. We'd do a bump. And just. Just. We partied. We just. We. We gave that VIP service to everybody that was with us. So everyone around you was aware that you were. Yeah, my close niche knew.

[Owen Hansen]

Right.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

But nobody knew I was working for the cartel. Everyone thought I was at the gambling business. You can't just go tell your friends that you're working for the cartel. You know, I had, like, maybe five guys that knew that just were very tight with me that work for me.

[Natalie]

I just can't, like, I can't get over the fact that this cartel boss is, like, watching this documentary on Amazon, and he's like, he better not have said anything.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

No, for sure. 100%. For sure was looking at that. That. Yeah, a thousand percent. There's no doubt.

[Natalie]

But, like, okay, well, I mean, he really trusts you.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

I mean, if you see the documentary, you'll see there's no foul play. Like, you'll. You'll be able to see, like, wow, he really did it.

[Natalie]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Owen Hansen]

Do you think there'll be a movie about you?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah, they're. I'm. I'm literally. Two weeks ago, we talked to the producers from Wolf of Wall Street. It was supposed to be an hour phone call, and it ended up being three hours. And then the guys from Entourage, obviously, is Mark Wahlberg's team from Entourage and Ballers. We have meetings, like, every month about, like, they're trying to do, like, a scripted series. Yeah. So like a. Like an Entourage.

[Owen Hansen]

Yeah.

[Natalie]

I mean, that's. That's so Sick.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

That's really fun. I'd have literally my date. Of course I'm single. This is where it all happened.

[Owen Hansen]

Oh, and Natalie's fun. Yeah, she's really fun.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

You're big football player.

[Natalie]

Cocaine, pasture. This is right. This is right up our alley.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

11.

[Owen Hansen]

She can get you.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Yeah, 11.

[Natalie]

Natalie gets free tables for life at 11.

[Owen Hansen]

I love it.

[Natalie]

We can do a retail for life one perk. Wow. Okay. This is great. Well, thank you for coming by and sharing everything.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Thanks for having me.

[Natalie]

Thank you. And again, not telling us who is very clear. Damn. Okay, that's crazy. I'm just trying to think if I've forgotten anything else. Now you have unlimited freedom.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Not unlimited. Like, I have to report if I leave the state. Like, if Natalie and I go to Vegas next week. We got to call the PO now if we. We'll be good. If we go to out of the country now. That's really hard. I'm trying to work on that right now. Payback. We're planning a big international birthday trip for me in a couple weeks. That might be a little tough. Cabo. We. We will get the red carpet if we go there. Don't worry about that. We will. We will have. I think Owen's flying the com. Yeah, we have him and Natalie landing right now. Sicario on the left. Sicario on the left.

[Natalie]

FBI agents are not like that. That's fine. Well, thank you for joining us. This was really, really fucking crazy. And, yeah, congrats on literally, I mean, congrats on experiencing life and then also learning. Learning a crazy lesson and fucking making ice cream.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

Appreciate it.

[Natalie]

Yeah. Life gives you cocaine. Make ice cream.

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

That's right. That's right.

[Natalie]

And then, Owen, where can people find you?

[Dave (Cartel Insider)]

The official ca Kid for Instagram and for all socials. And then the ice cream brand is at California Ice Protein.

[Owen Hansen]

Hell, yeah.

[Natalie]

Hell, yeah. And we'll see you guys next time.