The Cocaine Quarterback Owed the Cartel $4 Million… How He Made It Out Alive

00:00:00
Speaker 1: Welcome back to Unplugged. This week is a special show. I'm excited about this. I was scrolling on Amazon and came across the Cocaine Quarterback. So I did what I normally do, hopped in his DMS until my I need to talk, and lo and behold we have him here today. Welcome to the show The Cocaine Quarterback. Owen Hansoon, Thanks for having so question? How did it was the cocaine because you weren't a quarterback, right, was not a quarter so that just the name ended up flowing? Is that how it worked? How did the name come about?

00:00:31
Speaker 2: You know how it came? It was originally supposed to be the California kid. There was from California, right, And Amazon looked at it and it's like that just doesn't us what it is, right, And then they're like, well, technically he played football cocaine. Yeah, so how do we tie in the quarterback? Well, guess what. I was a signal caller the cartel, and the signal caller is the guy that's called the plays, right, So so they used that name with the asterisk signal caller for the cartel. So that why I have my quarterback.

00:01:01
Speaker 1: So when you saw, obviously Cocaine quarterback on Amazon, when you saw kind of your story being depicted, I mean, what was that like? I mean, obviously you be able to see yourself before, but to see your story kind of play out for the world, what was that? What was that feeling?

00:01:15
Speaker 2: Like? Man? It was I remember that Wahlberg's team had me view it before it went public, right, and I was like, man, I lived a fucking crazy life. Man, what the fuck was I thinking? And uh, man, I'm glad I'm not I'm not ever going to go back to that life because I'll tell you what, I should have died a long time ago in watching it, and like, how did I get man? How did I make it out alive? You know at the end of the day, Like I'm here right now. I shouldn't even be here.

00:01:44
Speaker 1: I mean, also being older and kind of looking back, but there had to be some fun time. To me, college was one of the best times of my life and we were actually I was at UCLA at the same time you were at SC I mean there had to be some fun times though.

00:01:56
Speaker 2: I mean, come on, as an athlete, we know, right, as an athlete, even as a walk on, right, I felt like the man has a walk on. And I remember Matt and Reggie and I would go out in Hollywood and fucking and we felt like we were like untouchable, right right. I mean you got to remember we didn't have a football team in LA at that.

00:02:13
Speaker 1: You guys were some of the biggest stars in the game at the time.

00:02:16
Speaker 2: It was I remember seeing Snoop Dogg coming to practice and want to do like chest bumps with us. I'm like, what the fuck is going on here? You know, Denzel is on the sideline Shack. I was like, man, we we really are the NFL tam LA And I mean, of course college you know how.

00:02:31
Speaker 1: College is well, I mean SC is different. You know. I was to me that the ride with U C, l A and USC was never real to me because I was a football guy growing up and I chose basketball once I got to college. But I was a fan of just how good you guys were. I mean, you guys turned out several pros, one two national championship. Row you're there, talk to me just about that team. Reggie Bush arguably the greatest college player we've ever seen. Lindell White was there while you were there. It was liner with the quarterback of the time. I mean, just talk to us about what that team was like on and off the.

00:03:01
Speaker 2: Field, and we're all best friends. I can literally tell you, Like Lindell was obviously in the docu series and ready to see me when I got out of prison. Brandon Hancock, who was our All American fullback, was awesome and he's you know, he would visit me in prison once a month. I named the fucking ice cream bar after him. But no, just it was every day we would come to practice and we'd be just like excited. Right. You go to the meetings on Mondays and they're like, God, what does Coach Carol have in store for us today? And you know that bond, that brotherhood, like you can't I tell people, you can't really understand it unless you've been part of it. And there's one hundred and ten of us, and we do anything for our team, right, our teammates. I'm sure you know it as well. In basketball, it's the same thing.

00:03:50
Speaker 1: You got to see Reggie in practice and in games. What was that like just on a daily basis, just to see his greatness?

00:03:57
Speaker 2: Man? That motherfucker gave me staples in my chin. Never forget it. It was. It was summer ball double days, and I, uh, fucking my helmet flew off. My fucking chin guard flew off. My helmet flew off. I was I was a gunner in special teams, and I was fucking sprinting and I got down there and my helmet flew off, and Reggie's duck and dive and I fucking had to make the tackle right and I fucking tackled him, and he got me right here, and he gave me with his helmet, his helmet, and he gave me like ten staples and they put put the stapleoat in and they should get in their hands. And they made me put my chin guard back and get right back in there. And what the fuck did I get in?

00:04:34
Speaker 1: This is practice?

00:04:34
Speaker 2: This is practice. This is why, this is why dad didn't want me to play football.

00:04:41
Speaker 1: So you grew up in Redondo Beach. Lifelong volleyball guy. You go to s C on a scholarship over some other really prominent volleyball schools. What made you pick s C?

00:04:51
Speaker 2: Man, the connections, right, You go to USC for that network, life long, lifelong. Once you go to USC and graduate, it's they say it's a it's a family for life. And I remember my uncle played volleyball there and my mom went there and was a tutor for you know, Charles White. And she always says, if you ever get to go to USC, you got to you gotta go. And I got lucky. You know, University of Hawaii offered me a full scholarship and then USC offered me a partial. I'm like, what do we do? My dad said, you know what, do you want to be a hotel manager when you graduate? Or do you want to be a CEO? And I said, you're right, bops, I want to be a CEO. I want to be a boss. Right there.

00:05:28
Speaker 1: It was so, you played volleyball your first year, you read shirt your second year, and then that's when things kind of kind of switch. I'm gonna give it, give you the floor.

00:05:37
Speaker 2: Hey, that's when things turn south. No pun intended, right I I literally after I got red shirted. I remember the coach called me in and I was devastated. Man, he sat me down, he says, hands and I got bad news. I said what, coach? He says, we got to red shirt you. I said, red shirt me. I just came to us to play fucking volleve but you're gonna put me on the bench. He's like, you gotta work on that vertical jump, you gotta work that arm strength. He says, you're playing behind Brook billings All, American Olympic volleyball player, probably one of the greatest opposite hitters ever at USC. He says, you're playing behind him. He says, go work on the vertical work on the arm strength. I said, okay, gotcha, And I remember Matt, I walked out of the office. I was so pissed off, and I went back down to the South Bay where I'm from Redonald Beach, and I went to Golds Gym. Remember there was a Golds gym over there, and I found the biggest motherfucker there and I went up to him. I said, Hey, what do I got to do to work on my vertical jump and my arm strength? And he says, do you want to do it illegally or illegally? I said, I want to do it as fast as possible. But I said he said to me, he says, well, a bottle of steroids is about three hundred dollars a bottle. I said, well, I don't have that. I didn't have two nickels drugs together. Remember, my dad's a construction he says. But if you want to save money, he goes, you can go to the veterinarian. I said, where the fuck's the veterinarian and he goes to I wanna I'm like, oh, do you wanna? Fuck? I remember I called my friend Spanky from North Sidry Donald Gang. He's the only Mexican friend I had that spokes half Spanish, right, And I said, Spanky, we are going and we are going to tea. We are going to Tiajana today. He says, for what I said, don't worry. I said, You're gonna get yourself some tequila, some beers, some tacos, my treat. And I remember Matt. We got down there and I had this list this bodybuilder gave me and I'm looking at it. I'm like, I'm gonna tell the taxi. So this taxi takes me to this literally this pharmacy. I get there, I see dogs, I see cats, I see horses, I see fucking goats. I see everything, and then guess what else I see? I see a bunch of American bodybuilders. I'm like, okay, this is the last spot. Yeah, And I got up there, and I slapped that list right there, and she's looking at it, and she starts bringing all these bottles, right, glass bottles and then pills. I'm like, oh the fuck. And in my mind, I'm like, where the fuck am I going to keep all this stuff? Right? God damn crashed my head. I'm like fuck. And then I said, hey, can I can I get one of those sandwich bags? And she gave me a sandwich bag and like literally dumping all the pills. I'm putting these glass files in there, and I'm like, I need some of that medical tape and I'm strapping it up right, and I'm like, can I use the bathroom? And she said, yeah, yeah, go ahead. So I literally go in that bathroom and I have my Nike compressor shorts from volleyball, and I just dropped my drawers, guys, not in the hole, but the fucking crack. I put it in the crack, and I pulled those compressor short.

00:08:29
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:08:29
Speaker 2: You just hold tight, right, yeah, the whole tight. We're right. And I remember Matt. I was like, fuck, am I really doing this right now? And I go to Spanky. I said, Spanks, how do I look? He goes, what do you mean he couldn't tell. I said, okay, we're good. And I remember, just like, if you know, just holding that thing the whole time. And uh, I remember we're sitting down eating fucking tacos and beer. I just got this fucking donut like this banana, just sitting there. I'm just like, ah, this is so uncomfortable. And uh. Then we go to the line. I said, let's go, and I think we waited like three hours. You know that mine's crazy and you're probably sweating. He says, are you okay? I said, what's the matter. He says, you're smelling like a horn church. I said, I'm not okay, sang said, I got a fucking banana my ass. And I got to that the fact US Customs officer in matt for the first time in my life, I lied. He says, are you bringing anything back in America? Remember my dad was strict six pm curfew. And I said, no, no, officer, I'm not. He says, like this, welcome back to America. And I'll tell you what, that's the biggest rush I've had. And I chased it for the rest of my life. Wow. Eventually, you know, smuggling one hundred kilos to Australia thousand kilos a ton, right, So I chased it and I just that was my first taste of a high that I've never felt.

00:09:49
Speaker 1: Different than sports, different than a different.

00:09:51
Speaker 2: It's it's completely different. And I think as a as an athlete, where these adrenaline junkies, right, and that's what it was.

00:09:58
Speaker 1: Now, give me what's the process? Now? So you start taking the stuff that this guy from the gym told you, and how fast do you start seeing results?

00:10:04
Speaker 2: To? Like two weeks, I'm already seeing my results on the bench. Right within two months, I'm just like a puffer fish. I'm like, dude, it's not like I'm asking a doctor how to take the ship. I'm just fucking shooting it. And I'll tell you what I got so puffy. I looked just stupid, like little fat, fucking cheeks. I'm like, god, damn, getting a little big and next thing you know, I'm like literally bouncing the fucking two twenty five on my like nothing. I'm oh my god, this is fucked up. Then this is this is this is cheating, right. And I remember Coach char he was uh, he was the strength and conditioned and coach at a at USC at the time for the volleyball team, the men's and then he was also for the football team. He says, Hanson, what have you been doing? I said, coach, A lot of metrics, shakes man, A lot of metrics. He looked at me. He said here, I said. He said you sure. I said, yeah, I'm sure. A lot of metrics. Man, I'm red shirt. Don't worry, I got a red shirt. He said, Hanson, you need to walk on to the football team. I said, coach Chart, I've never played football in my life. You're out of your mind. He says, Hanson, look at you. You're an athlete. I said, well, what do I do? He says, just show up. You never know. And I fucking scratched his head, and I thought about my dad. I'm like, fuck, my dad would kill me. Then I think to myself, I'm a fucking adult. I'm nineteen years old. You know. You know what. I don't need to tell my dad, right, So next week goes on. I put on my volleyball shoes and I show up to this walk on with like fifty walk ons. Everyone's wearing cleats. I'm like, fuck, I fuck that one up. I look out it around everyone. They're like, you know these you could tell their football players from junior colleges, probably all Americans from high school just walking on want to be part of the Trojan family. And it started with the a con dro You know, We've been doing cones our whole life, so I was like, this is easy. And then uh, I remember coach Sarkesian at the time was the quarterback coach. He was throwing routes to us, and I think I got three out of five. That's the first three footballs I've ever got in my love ever.

00:12:11
Speaker 1: But this is again people like this is USC in their heyday.

00:12:16
Speaker 2: Yeah, a man, I'm throwing these footballs back. It's not a spiral. This thing's going like this.

00:12:21
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:12:23
Speaker 2: Yeah. Then it was a vertical jump, well fuck, I'm a volleyball player thirty seven inches. They're looking at me like who is this guy? And then it was the forty the forty yard dash and this is I think, what what these opened? This guy sold? It's like, yeah, I got down in my three point stance and I'm like and they got to stop watching. I remember Coach Carol walked over and looked at it. And then coach Norman Chow came over and looked at it, and they're like, send them back something, yeah, And I was like, fuck, I was panting, man, I was on all the sauce and I could not like my cardio was not there. But I get back and they're like again, my fuck, I got again four sixty three. They're like, oh, it's something that something's going on, like who is this guy? And then coach had Oh Jean comes in. Who the fuck is this guy? Right with that voice, that Louisiana voice, and uh, They're like, all right, everybody, we're going into Uh. Heritage Hall had this locker. It's like a locker room where the weight rooms in the basement. So we go down to the basement and they're like, our last, our last drill is the bench press to twenty five. Oh here, you guys have no any fucking clue what I'm on right now. They're like, you don't know what's gonna happen right now. And I got down there, Matt. I think I was like the second to last guy, and I'm literally just twenty one twenty two, just bouncing at twenty three, twenty four, twenty five, twenty six and I rack it. I probably had three more, and I'm like, what's the point, right, And now they're really looking like who the fuck is this kid? And the coach chars open, he's the volleyball player, right, And I just thought nothing of it. I just I went about my day. It was like, okay, I tried out right. I didn't think like anything. H I wasn't expecting to make a fucking football team. I was a volleyball player. And a week goes by her coach char says, hey, Hanson, go check out coach coach Carroll's office. They had these glass stores in Harritaghall I said for what? He says, they got the list of the guys that made the team. I'm like, come on, I said, fuck it, I'll just go look right, and I see all the same guys that were trying out and they're all coming down the stairs, all disappointed faces. I get up there and I said, Owen Hansen. I was like, what the fuck? Was the only person out there? And they never playing. These guys are probably thinking what the fuck? How did he make it? And I'm looking at it. I was like, is it fucking April fools? Like, is this a joke, like, I didn't even know what to do, Like, what am I going to tell my dad? Right? And I go down there, I said, Coach char was that for real? You're playing games with me? I didn't know. I thought this was a joke. He said, congratulations, she made the football team. I was fuck, yeah, what a rush? That was an other rush? Right, So now I'd had two back to back rushings. Fuck the back to back championships. I just fucking smuggled stairs and I made the team.

00:15:08
Speaker 1: So what's your transition? Like? Again, volleyball guys, so you know about team of sports, but again you're coming into a situation that about a team that is still talked about one of the greatest teams of all time. So what's your transition? Like? How do you become cool with everybody? How do you become kind of the guy you became in college.

00:15:24
Speaker 2: I think I've always been like this charismatic that I could hang out with you, I can hang out with Mexicans, I can hang out fucking guys from eighteen Street Gang. I can just hang out for D eight familiar. Yeah, Like I'm tomorrow I'm speaking in front of three hundred narcotics agents that are paying me money, Like they're looking at me like yeah, like the guys that arrested me are now fucking paying me. And I just blend in and I get on that team and I'm not gonna lie Matt. I had my pads backwards the first day, but these guys in to tell me I show up to practice. I got these fuckers on backwards. I'm literally getting thrown around like a rag doll. I remember Frosty Rucker, Kenichi Jazzy. They're laugh and they're throwing me around. I'm like, dude, what are these guys doing to me? Like, but I didn't play football ever, so I don't know if this is normal, right, And then I get back in the locker and everyone's cracking up at me and like what the fuck are they laughing at? And then they finally told me that Matt Castle came up to me and he goes, dude, give the guy a break. He's never played football in his life, like he's a vulnerable player. And Matt Castle was obviously married to a volleyball player, Lauren Killyan, who was a s C girl. But so they're laughing and they're like, oh, the guy's a fucking vulneraball player. But after that they started to respect me because I just showed up.

00:16:35
Speaker 1: You were aligned back.

00:16:37
Speaker 2: I was a tight end.

00:16:38
Speaker 1: I didn't know.

00:16:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, I was playing at two forty. I was, uh, let's see right now, I'm about two ten, so I was a little thicker, but I was behind you know, some great fred Davis, great Gunther, Alex Holmes, Dominique Bird, all these guys played in the NFL. But yeah, they all played in the NFL.

00:17:02
Speaker 1: Those are pros. So again, how often was this Mexico trip happening for you or were you able to start getting it more home or did you have to keep making those trips. No?

00:17:13
Speaker 2: I had to keep making those trips. And the problem, Matt was, I got so big, I started to like get nervous, so I would wear sweatshirts down there. I had big, baggy sweathirts, like Quicksilver sweachers.

00:17:23
Speaker 1: Luckily that was the style back then.

00:17:24
Speaker 2: Hit it was. But this is the problem. Man, It's summer and nobody should be wearing a sweatshirt in Tijuana in the summer. So when I'm coming back one of these trips, they patted me down. But hey, this is where you really feel that adrenaline rush. Okay, they started patting me down. I'm like, okay, if they go any lower than that belt on, fucked right. And they did this pat and I was like, oh my god, my heart dropped. And then after that, I figured out a new way to start bringing in. I started bringing girls down there with me and I said, girls, I'm going to take you papas and beer. Tequila's on me and I'm going to give you each one hundred dollars. Remember this is twenty two years ago. We're like the hunter Bocks and you get to party with me. And so now I had all these girls with me and they're like, what are we going to do? I said, you just got to take that glove and we're going to put some pills in it and we're gonna wrap it up and you're just gonna put it and you know where. And they're like, that's it. I was like, yeah, that's like the size of a tampon, and and these girls are like, let's do it every week.

00:18:20
Speaker 1: One girl said.

00:18:25
Speaker 2: That's wild. So my smuggling route started to adapt with the situation. Right, and if you get too big, guess what you utilized. And I utilized. You know, eventually we'll talk about it, the different routes I utilized to bring drugs into other countries.

00:18:41
Speaker 1: So now you're sc football player, but you're also kind of the guy that's applying the fun to teams fraternities. Talk to us about how that kind of how you kind of became the snowman.

00:18:54
Speaker 2: Do it all started? Everyone started calling me like the doctor, right. I remember some of my teammates and other athletes will be like, dude, I got a torn aco. I said, well, let's get you on some sustan on two fifty little EHG. Yeah, I understood.

00:19:08
Speaker 1: I enjoyed it.

00:19:09
Speaker 2: I enjoyed it. I became this mad scientist. And then everyone on the athletic side, obviously some of guys were in fraternities and they're like, dude, doctor O, don't get you anything. And I remember one of the kids said, hey, do you have anything to keep me up for my final and so I can study. I'm like, let's prescribe you some adderall right? And I remember I was like, fuck it. I could get anything down at that pharma seat right super much. I was like, dude, this is like ten X. I'm making all my money and adderall is so tiny, and I'm like, fuck it, I'll bring a hundred adderall. And I was buying for I think like a bucket pill back then, and I would sell them for like ten right. Everything was ten x right. And then I remember one kid saying, hey, man, I can't sleep off the adderall. I said, let me get you some xanax, right, and everything just started and they're like, hey, I just finished my final. I want to party. Let me get you some ecstasy, right. And then then that's when I started reaching out to my North Side Rednal gangsters. I'm like, dude, these guys are going through the adderall the xanax and I said, I figured out what they like to do at night and he's like, what is that? He said, they like that that white the white girl. And I'm like, dude, there's They're paying one hundred dollars a grand for a bag one hundred dollars and I'm like, dude, I know this stuff doesn't cost us. I grew up in a Mexican neighborhood, like like, I know what it costs, right. And I remember reaching out to one of my my homeway Scrappy, and he's like dude, let me, let me, let me just supply you with some stuff. Let's see how you do. And I was so scared about I said, man, I'm not driving to any of this, this this white anywhere. That's that's I'm losing my scholarship. I'm getting a felony. I'm going to prison. Right. I was like, I'm not, I'm not doing it. Just don't worry. I'll deliver it. So he delivered to my fraternity house the first time, and he brought it in this I thought it was a burger and fries. Really it was a star foam container. And he opened it up and there was eight oun. I was like, oh, fuck the fuck am I gonna do this? Like eight ounces? And he's like, here's the scale, here's those grand bags. He says, you're getting this for twenty dollars a gram. He says they're selling it for a hundred. He says, undercut the market. I think we agreed on the price of sixty bucks. Like let's let's let's beat them all. You got to remember these kids were going to like the arco in buying it off like a pisa, you know, like like that's good. Cut off the house they're fucking shitting right after this, do a line and I'm like, dude, I said, uh, I'm gonna do that. I'm gona undercut the market. I think sixty is a good number. I mean I'm three x in right, Like that's no brainer. And then I get to my room and my fraternity brother's up there and he's like, what are you doing? I said, no, what are you doing? I said, I got a job for you. And you got to remember every kid in the fraternities, they all do blow. I don't. Everyone in the USC does. And I get there. I lay out the scale, I lay out the grand bags. I said, okay, take that spoon. We're gonna pour this end. I'm showing him how to tear it because the guy just topped me in the car and we're literally like doing this and there's twenty eight grams for an ounce. I said, listen, every time you sell an ounce, that's twenty eight grams. Okay, every time you sell one ounce, I'm giving you one gram on me. This is your commission. He's like, bet, like you know, like this is a no brainer. Like he's that uh. I remember I go to is during summer. I go to practice. I get back and he's he's literally sitting at his computer and he zooms around. He's like, right, I got bad news. And he's like fucking all jacked up. I said, oh fuck, he did the whole thing. He's like, we're sold out. I'm like, oh shit, he sold out in less than six hours. And I was like, he's like, we got a problem. He said, we don't got a problem. This is a good problem. Yeah. Yeah. And then right there, I knew I had a black market service that nobody would be willing to touch because they were all getting it from one on the street, right, And I'm in this bubble, all right, I'm in the fraternity house. There's no one coming in. You don't got l a PD coming to the USC. We got like USC private security. So then I just try to expand the business, right, and I would go to different fraternities and guys would already come to our house. I'm like, dude, why don't you sell this ounce? You know? You know, I give them a discount. And then I started having like all these guys throughout the fraternities selling my code.

00:23:24
Speaker 1: So and this is again early two thousands, So what is is it? Pagers? Or are you guys on cell phone?

00:23:29
Speaker 2: Or we're on cell phones? But guys, really don't. You got to remember we're not taxing. Back then, the word about basically you call, you show up, years, here you go and it. You got to remember, I came from nothing, man. So I'm like now finally able to fit in with these kids like I didn't fit in at all.

00:23:48
Speaker 1: Right, I mean for those of them, I mean sc is that obviously proceeds. But a lot of kids they come from money.

00:23:53
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:23:53
Speaker 1: Are those kids from university money spoiled children?

00:23:56
Speaker 2: That's what they call them. Yeah, and uh yeah, if you don't have a scholarship, no one's gone.

00:24:01
Speaker 1: Yeah. Two questions here, did you ever feel like it was becoming too big while you were there? And did you ever kind of and then at the peak, how much money were you making in college?

00:24:12
Speaker 2: Man? You know, I people ask that question. I had ten thousand dollars days, you know. I mean, it's just like when rush happens Rush week.

00:24:19
Speaker 1: I couldn't imagine that. I remember we were getting our pail grants for two thousand and tell me shit for the three days I had that.

00:24:25
Speaker 2: They list said, You're like, you've never seen that type of money, So I guess what you're doing. You're spending is fast as it comes in the question.

00:24:31
Speaker 1: I remember, we're.

00:24:32
Speaker 2: Going to like the Nino the Ninos, like the shittiest bar on campus, and like just like this one's on me, come to main right, But that's what we that's what we live for, like we want to be the mainst moments.

00:24:42
Speaker 1: Yeah, did you ever feel like it was getting too big or out of your control while you're at se No.

00:24:47
Speaker 2: There was a time where I was like, you know what, I'm just gonna just just stop this. I'm not I'm going to disassociate myself as soon as this thing's over. And that was my goal, and that's what happened, right and I I towards the end, it was like people were asking for like oxy copt and Viking and I'm like, holy shit, like that, I can't even keep up with all these prescriptions. And that that's when I started to thinking, okay, man, I'm like really becoming a pharmacist now, Like this is too much. But it was like I just had to get in and get out because I knew I was just doing it to keep up with the Joneses. And as soon as I graduated from USC, I said, that's it.

00:25:22
Speaker 1: And you were able to cut, able to cut. That's hard to do. It's hard to do and we won't talk about why it's hard to do later. But so you went new two national titles while you're at SC as doctor O, what was overall when you look back from the football to what you kind of found as you know, your side hustle? What was your college experience like when you're looking back all these years now.

00:25:47
Speaker 2: When I look back, I think I I didn't get to enjoy it as much as the other kids. I think I was I was too much of like into that hustle mentality. And like, obviously I did it. I could afford to go to college. But like you know, if I had money going into college, I wouldn't obviously had to do that. Or if there was nil, I'm when I have to do that? Right? I look at it like, man, what if there was an L would I be here today? Like, like I wouldn't need that hustle.

00:26:16
Speaker 1: So you leave school and you start in the sports gambling space.

00:26:22
Speaker 2: Well, listen, I got a job working for a USC alumni right out of school, making six figures, Like right out and I was stoked. I was like, this is it nine to five real estate developer? And then you remember two thousand and seven, two thousand and eight, the market crashed. I was like scrambling, man, the whole my whole life, I've been that underdog. I'm like, Okay, what am I going to do now? And I scrambled into bookmaking, and people like, how did you get into book making? Like I remember literally I was working for this developer and this contractor was always calling his bookie during like meetings. He's like, hey, I want twenty grand on the Dodgers tonight. I'm like, god, what is this? Like who's on the other side of that? Like I want to be the book And this guy was always losing. I'm like, dude, this guy is fucking terrible, right, like you can't hit the side of a barn. And uh. I remember when I lost that job. I was like, okay, I got to I'm going to be a bookie. That's what I'm gonna be. I said, I know all these athletes, my boys are now in the NFL. I said, my fraternity brothers are now CEOs for the dad's company that they took over. Right like I'm going to be a bookie. And uh my dad had an Italian friend that was part of his fishing club, fly fishing club. And I remember Dad, I said, Dad, I lost my job. I said, I need to talk to Uncle Tony. He says, you're not talking talking to Uncle Tony. I said, Dad, I come on, I just lost my job. I said it's temporary. And he's like, no, no, no, we're not We're not doing that song you went to USC. I said, Dad, I'm telling you, like, I lost my job. I have no way to make money right now. He's like, all right, I'll let you see Uncle Tony. And I talked to Uncle Tony. I told him, I said, listen, man, I got customers. I'm telling you. I got athletes that are in the NBA. I got fraternity brothers that are making millions of dollars. I said, I got Hollywood. I said, let me, let me just run with it. And I remember he's like, okay, I'll let you. I'll let you run with it. I'll give you twenty percent commission. I didn't know what that was. That good, that's bad. But I remember in six months, my whale lost a million dollars cash and I remember collecting over you know, six months, a million dollars cash for him, and I'm getting twenty percent of that, and like scratching my head, I'm like, wait a minute, like I'm this is my customer and I'm only getting twenty percent. Like something's wrong. It should be the other way around, right, And I went to Uncle Tony. I said, hey, man, something's wrong with this equation, Like you're giving me twenty percent. Dude, you need to bump it up like I'm bringing you whales. And he's like, no, we're not bumping it up. So oh yeah. I said, well, I'm going to figure out how to do this myself then, and that's when I flew to Costa Rica and that's like the mecca of sports books. And I went over there and I literally went office to office to figure out how to do it. And it took me probably like six weeks of traveling back and forth, and I was eventually able to start my own office with a call center, lines movers, offshore servers, and I started Beto Dog because if my nickname was odog in college. And I got back and I remember I told all my customers, hey, bet Odog is the new show in town. Right, everyone started to switch over to bet Odog, and I gave these incentives that were like it was like giving a little rock a crack to a crack dealer, a crackhead. Right, you give them like right when they lose, you say, hey, every time you lose, guess what, bro, If you pay me Monday, I give you ten percent off. And as soon as you pay me, guess what I'm gonna give you what. I'm gonna give you twenty percent free play. We're giving someone free plays, they're gonna lose it and guess they're gambling. So it's like I said. So everyone started switching over, and then I started bringing agents Like I was like a sub bookie to uncle Tony, right, and Uncle Tony was giving me twenty percent. I'm like, I told all my subbookies. I said, hey, with o Dog, you get fifty percent. We're partners. We're fifty to fifty. So now I got the whole everyone's you over.

00:30:00
Speaker 1: You undercut the market.

00:30:01
Speaker 2: Yeah, undercut the market. People are pissed. Some of these wise guys were looking at me like what are you doing. I'm like, I don't give a fuck, Like you know, like what did you see what I just did in Mexico? Like I just smell a bucket thousand dollars the steroids in my my ass, and you want to bust my balls about giving someone fifty percent? I didn't care it, right, And I started to bring these agents in. Everyone started moving over. And then Uncle Tony's organization got got indicted, right, and they got indicted for illegal bookmaking, and uh, I was like, okay, now this is where I'm gonna excel. So I grab all their agents and now I start. I have like two thousand customers in the United States. Yeah, and I get so big man, I'm like, okay, this is cool. Like I got, I got a lot of volume coming in. But I was so ambitious. I was like, how do I expand this? Like, you know, I like latinos, Let's go international, Let's go to Mexico, Let's go to Canada, Let's go anywhere we can take bets because it's just a payment of way. And I remember telling my sub bookies, Hey, we're taking bets in Mexico, now, Canada, South America, wherever. I don't care. And I expanded the business because at the end of the day, a servers at www dot that's worldwide, right, And unbeknownst to me, no, no, no, uh, nobody knows this. But one of my agents had this this, this, this whale, and this whale was from Mexico and he was losing a quarter million dollars a week for three weeks in a row. And I'm getting bags of cash, Matt, And you know it's a whale. When those cash, those bags of cash are coming in on a Monday, You're like, Okay, this guy has no problem with money. But as as a bookmaker and the owner of this company, it's not my job to do a background check on my customers because that's that's my bookie, my agent, that's his job to just handle the cash. At the end of the day, all I care about is my fifty percent coming to me and him. Finally, this this customer is about to win. And I called this agent. I said, hey, get over here. I said, your customer is going to hit. He says, well, what does it matter, it's a Sunday. I said, what matters is when this game's over, the Raiders hit. He wins a five teen parlay, He's going to crack us for two sixty, I said, I want you to give him his cash back on Monday. He's like why Monday? I said, man, do you realize this guy's been paying us something like, dude, it's this is just a little sliver. We go. This is like a booky's dream. You lose, you collect, and then you get to pay him back just a little, right. And I said, eight am, sharp, man, just drop it off. I don't care where you have to drop it off. And he says, you got it. And I remember the next day he comes and he hands me this encrypted phone and he says, this is from my customer. I'm like, your customer. I said, well, that's your customer. What do I got to talk to him for. He's like, no, he wants to talk to you. He wants to thank you. Fuck. He says, there's three passwords. Three passwords. I look at it's a BlackBerry, had no microphone, no camera, fucking GPS was out. All you could do is type on this thing and I enter these three passwords. I get in and he's like what oh. I like the way you do business, Like the fuck like, who's this right? Like that this is a whale right. I'm like, okay, My service was always like Hey, VIPs, whatever they want, it's on me, right, I said, sure, no problem, anything you want. Let me know if you want to come to Vegas, if you want to come to Costa Rica, whatever you got, you know, we'll send a private jet to pick you up. Because people don't realize as a bookie, you are like the casinos, right, and when you go to the casino, you got a host, and that host is supposed to whine and dining. And it's the same thing for me. And that's how I treated the business. And so I said anything he needs, sir, And like next day he's like, hey, I know you probably have money throughout the US. He says, I need some money dropped off. Whatever you need, sir. What do you need? He says, I need a hundred grand dropped off in San Diego. Like, oh, that's easy, and call one of my agents. Twenty minutes later, I have one hundred grand dropped off and he says, I'm going to pay you ten points on every time you drop off money for me. I'm like, okay, this is math one on one ten percent for a twenty minute drop. Fuck it, let's go. Right after that drop he messages me. He says where do you want the one hundred and ten thousand cent I was like, oh, this is perfect because remember my office is a Costa Rica. So I was like, okay, this is how I'm going to clean all this money from the US and I'm going to pay it pay my Costa Rica bank account, and then I'm gonna pay my workers, my employees. So boom, one hundred and ten thousand wired into my Costa Rica bank account. I'm like, okay, this is this is awesome because back of the day, Matt, the only way we could pay our employees down there is through I would fly, like, you know, five of my friends on the plane, I'd give everyone ninety nine hundred dollars and we'd go over there and I say, hey, you stay at my house and I give you you know, five points. So they get to party for free, and then I pay my employees in cash. But now I just solve the problem. And so this will call this guy l Hafe Right, He's like, hey, I need another one hundred grand and North Carolin, now another one hundred grand in Florida. I'm just making like ten grand just off these drops. I'm like, this is money laundering. One on one and then finally, after like a couple of weeks, he says, now I need you to pick up a million dollars. I'm like, wait a minute, wait a minute, I just dropped off. What do you mean pick up? He's like, I'm gonna pay you the ten percent. He says, it's in a it's in an area that we're not allowed in. It's rival territory. And right when he said that, it's like, okay, this is this is someone a little more important. This is Carlos sim slimm'er dealing with. Right. I'm like, okay, anything you want, sir, Like, like I'm anything. I can't say no. That's the problem with me. Matt, Like if you say, hey, I want a tattoo and Balie, I'm gonna get you over to Baldy gets tattooed. Like, I can't say no. It's just my personality. So I'm like, okay, I'm scratching my head. I'm like, okay, how am I going to pick up a million dollars? I'm like, okay, well I need a private jet. Right, I've never been on a friv plane. I'm gonna get a turbo prop. Those are cheap, so I got a turble prop. It was twenty five hundred an hour. I'm like, I probably need some muscle. So I called my boy Tank, who's a fucking avalon crip. I called. I say, hey, Tank, I said, we're going to fucking Texas Brownsville, Texas today, And I said, I'm going to pay you two thousand bucks. I said, bet and he said, I said, and we're going to need one of your buddies with you. So he brought it one of his friends from the UFC. We get in this turbo prop and I tell the pilot where to go, and we land this thing and I'm on that cryptophone and I tell I tell LFA, I'm here, and he says, give me five minutes. And five minutes later, there's literally a pickup truck that comes into this this private airport parking lot, and the guy gets out and he's in overalls and he brings this bag of cash and he says, ste pot of l hefe this is for the boss. I'm like, oh, fuck all I'm thinking about when I grab that bag, I'm thinking a rival territory. So I'm like, fuck, am I going to get a shot. Let's get out of here. So I'm running back at a fast pace and like, let's go, and Tank's looking at me and he's like, that's it. I said, that's it. He's like, man, that's the easiest two ground I've ever made, And like, you don't even know. I have think in my head, you don't even know what I just made, right, that's easy. But we landed. I remember paying the pilot, came up to like ten grand, and then paid Tank two and his buddy too. I was like, man, I just made like eighty five thousand bucks. I said, in fuck, what is that? Eight hours? Not even eight hours? Four hours? Right? And I tell you, hey, hey, where do you want this? Nine hundred dropped off? And within thirty minutes I had it dropped off in a town in Riverside. And after that he's like, man, widow, I've never seen anyone move. He said, you're vicious, do it. I'm like starting to get a chip on my shoulderm like yeah, that's right, that's right.

00:37:42
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:37:42
Speaker 2: Then uh. We go a couple of weeks later and he says, hey, hey, what how would you like to make a million dollars a day doing what you're doing now?

00:37:50
Speaker 1: Like?

00:37:51
Speaker 2: Fuck, a million dollars a day? You remember, say you remember that.

00:37:54
Speaker 1: I'm the fun So this is probably what two thousand and nine.

00:37:59
Speaker 2: No, twenty ten, You're right, twenty ten, end of two thousand and nine, twenty ten. But the whole time, I'm like, okay, what am I going to do for a million those a day? Like, there's no way this guy is gonna have me just dropping off cash right or picking up cash? And ah, he says I got he said, how did he say? He says, I I got work in Australia and I need someone to move from me. I'm like, what the fuck is work? You know? He's like, uh, he says, I got that white girl? And I knew right there. I was like, okay, man, I've seen ounces, but I never seen fucking kilos right. No, No, this is a whole other level. I'm like, fuck, he says, do you have anyone to move? I'm like fucking no, But for a million dollars day, I'm going to figure it out, right, I'm gonna figure it out real fast. And this took some that rolodex, Right, you create that rolodex at USC and you just remember, like who can I use? And I was like Okay. I had someone at the USC baseball team that was inherent, and I remember him telling me his brother was in the international weed game. I'm like that, that's where I'm gonna go. So I find this this baseball player. Now he's a he's a junior coach getting his master's degree, and he's still at USC. I'm like, this is perfect. I'm going to the campus right and I find him and I remember seeing him, like, go, hey, I need to talk to your brother. He's like, for what I said, You remember you told me like two years ago. He's like, yeah, yeah, I said, I got to meet him. He says he's actually in San Diego right now, that's where he lives. I'm like, okay. So I get down there and I see him there. He's playing at this racquetball club and he's playing with this Italian dude. And I told him, hey, your brother is a friend of mine. He told me you were in the international weed business. I said, listen, man, I got some of that white girl. I said, I need to move it. He goes, man, I deal with the green. I said, well, fuck, I need to move to white. He goes that guy right there, that guy's he's done it all. I'm like, well, can you introduce me. He's like, yeah, So I sit down with this. We'll call him uncle Louis, right. And I sit down with him and I start talking like, man, I got this. He's like, hey, hey, stop stop the fucking talking right now. He told me, right, he says, we don't talk in the US. I'm like, what do you mean don't talk? He says, if you want to talk to me about businesses, you fly to Naples, Italy, where I live. And I'm like what. He's like, I've got indicted in the US. I'm not talking here. This guy used to work for one of the lu Casey families. I was like, okay, whatever you say, right, Like, I'm just saying all I can think about is that fucking million dollars. And two weeks later, I'm in Naples, Italy. He picks me up in this fiat, right, everyone in Italy drives these little fiats. And he shows up and he gives me this hug, and he gives me a kiss and on the cheeks, and he smells like shit. I'm like, God, damn, this steaky Italian. He's like, come on, we're he said, he goes. He goes, come on, we're going to my house. And I get there, Mat and this guy has a fucking villa. He has two villas. He's got this winery down the middle. I'm like, god, damn, Like, who is this dude? He says, Uh, listen, Now tell me what you wanted to talk about. He says, don't ever talk to me in the United States about anything illegal. And I was like, okay, now I see why, right, And I start to tell him. I said, I got work, man, I got this guy that's been gambling with me and I'm telling the story. I said, man, this guy's been paying me. And he tells me he's got a fucking ton of cocaine in Australia. And he looked at me. He goes, get the fuck out of here. He is this Italian fucking wise guy accent. I'm like, I'm serious, man. He said, no one, no one, no, I don't care who they are. No one has fucking that kind of work in Australia. It's impossible, he says. It's the hardest place in the world to get anything into. Like, man, I'm telling you. He's like, don't waste my time. He says, in fact, why don't you go there? And when you get there and you see it with your own eyes, then you call me and I'll come over there. I'm like, okay, fair enough. So now I'm on the phone with Elf. Hey, I'm like, hey, I got a guy. He says he can handle it. So now I'm right, I don't know if this guy is real. So I fly to Australia. Like three days later. I'm in Australia and El Halfe is hitting me up. He says, when are you ready to get it dropped off? And I haven't seen the work. So now I'm lying. Now I'm lying. And now I go to Uncle Louis and he has this encrypted phone I gave him. I'm like, hey, Uncle Louis, I seen him in my own eyes. Get over here. I lied to him. Right, I'm like, I'm in a jam. So I'm back on this phone. I'm back on this Italian phone. And finally Uncle Louis gets there two days later and I said you ready He says yeah. So El Halfe says, hey, you need to go get a room at the Four Seasons Hotel and it's in Darling Harbor and Sydney and he says, as soon as you get a room number, he says, message me the number. So I get there. I check into room four twenty six, and i'd give Uncle Louis room four twenty eighths right. They're sharing doors, right, And I get in there, I tell he, hey, I'm in four twenty six. Fucking ten minutes later, I got a guy knocking on my door and he's wearing a DHL outfit. He gives me a package and I'm like, oh, fuck, hey, all i'm thinking about is two and a half kilos of more in Australia is a life sentence, and I know this is over two and a half kilos. I'm hanging. I'm hitting that wall. Man. I'm like, Uncle Luid get over here right now. I don't want to be like I don't want to be involved in this. I just want to handle the money, right And yeah, ukle Lui gets over there and we cut this box open. He goes, holy shit, nephew, you were not lying, and I remember he's like, fucking let's try it, and he just did a big gagger right in front of me. I'm like, oh, he goes, this is this is one hundred percent Columbine. I'm like, oh my god, he's he looks at me bad. He says, you're going to be a millionaire in a day, no doubt. And I was like, fuck yeah. He goes, he goes, give me thirty minutes, right, and he comes back thirty minutes later, and he has a Duffel bag and I gave him ten This was a test run, right. I gave him ten ten bricks, ten birds, and I sold him to him for one hundred thousand a bird, which is a million dollars. In the agreement I had with l halfa anything we would split the profit, so the hundred was my number. I gave fifty to al, halfa fifty for me. You know, Uncle Louis could charge whatever fuck you wanted. So Uncle Louis charged one one hundred and fifty thousand, so everyone made fifty thousand. So he comes back, he has a million dollars for my suitcase and five hundred thousand for his. So I was like, okay, that's a good test run. I didn't make a million yet because half of it goes to halfa. And then he's like, okay, when when Uncle Louis goes, when can I have more like, I'm like, let me hang on. Hey, hefey, when can we have more? He says, tomorrow, You're gonna have twenty bricks dropped off the same time, same place. We worked Tuesday, we work Wednesday, we work Thursday, week Friday, we take off Saturday, sudden, we start back up Monday, and the twenty birds. Every time, I'm like, oh fuck, Like that second day when I had two million, I knew million was mine. I'm like, okay, this is what he was talking about. A million a day. It makes sense. And we're working and literally for the next three days, and then we take off on the weekends, we start back up and and come come the second week. I'm like, okay, wait a minute here, Like I'm I'm living in a studio apartment, like no, no, bigger than this area. And I'm like, where am I gonna put the fucking money. I'm literally putting money in the dishwasher, the cabinets, the fucking microwave, the attic. I got suitcases in my closet, I got it under the bed. I got like ten million.

00:45:25
Speaker 1: Now what part of you was nervous, What part of you is excited? What part of you wants more like, I mean there's nothing.

00:45:32
Speaker 2: I mean they're all three right. You're fucking poping xanas like tic TACs, you're fucking drinking white wine like water, and you're nervous. Even louis nervous, and he's been in this game for forty years. He's looking at me. He's like, dude, what the fuck are we going to do? I'm like, we're gonna keep working, like like this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, Like I just made what most people dream of making in a lifetime. Like like, let's keep going. We keep going. But the problem is we're shooting ourselves in the foot because now I have nowhere to put it. I'm like, man, I got it, and Uncle Louis is starting to get scared. He's like, dude, I have no where to put it either. He's staying in a hotel room and he's not even getting his room clean. He's like, I'm not letting him in the room. Yeah. So we were like, okay, let's just let's start. Let's slow down. I'll tell I have to hang on for a week, and let's let's start cleaning this money. And we're going to every exchange place, taking the Australian currency, and we're exchanging. He's changing for euros, I'm exchanging for US. And eventually, you know, there's so only so much US cash and in the streets of Sydney, and after like a day two days, I was like, okay, I bought all the dollars. He's bought all the euros. I started going to places and buying euros without him knowing, because I was like, fuck, I'm running out of cash, like I can't buy US, I'm gonna go buy the five hundred dollars euro notes. So I found these five hundred dollars year notes are huge, and at the time I was like a five hundred dollar a euro note was worth like seven hundred and fifty US.

00:47:00
Speaker 1: Okay.

00:47:01
Speaker 2: So what I did is I would buy as many of those as I could, and I would start putting him in these comic books. And then in my in my studio, I had this this seiler, like a vacuum seiler, and I had vacuum seal that comic book, and I put it in an eBay envelope and I would send it to the US. It's I had Peo boxes, and I would send it to my Peo box, like like someone bought account book, you know, like we're talking like twenty thousand at a time. But Matt, you could send enough comic books. You're not dead. Yeah, so I'm scratched if I had. And now we start buying gold. You know, there's four bullion stores and in Sydney, and I'm like running into him, like, fuck man, he figured out my idea too, like like we have the same ideas, we're not I'm not even telling him my ideas, and shit, he got that one. So we started buying the one ounce rounds and at the time gold was like sixteen hundred an ounce. I'm like, okay, how am I going to put this gold in something? It's gonna be seenen. I can't just ship it back to the US, So it's going to stop that. So at the time, you remember the ug boot. So I said, you know what, I'm gonna start buying ug boots. And I started going every corner sells ugs. You know, ugs are like a Starbucks. There's everywhere. And I started buying ugs and I would buy a pink, gray brown tall ones, short ones about something for my dad, my mom, my girlfriend, my wife, everybody, right, like everyone got ugs, and I would call them and I said, hey, what size ug are you? What color do you want? And I'm telling it like I'm telling everyone, man, if I knew you, how to call you, and I literally I tell people. I said, I'm gonna send ugs, but it's a present. Let's wait until I get home before we open it, right, So I put it. Literally, there's these soles and the ugs, and I'm pulling them out and I'm gluing four one ounce round gold coins on each one, so it's like comes out to six thousand bucks on each shoe. So I'm like around twelve thousand, between twelve and thirteen thousand, and I'm sending them. And I'm telling you, listen, I am sending like twenty ugs a week, and it's the ups. Guy's starting to look at me, like, god, damn, this is motherfucker song sending a lot of ugs. I mean, these things are the hottest item right now. Beyance is wearing them right like you're like you but like I said, it's not put in a dent, and like, man, what's next? And I remember I called my girl that I was dating at the time, and she thought this was all gambling money, and I said, man, this guy, this whale I have, keeps losing all this money over here. I said, I need a way to get it out. I said, all those ug boots, I said this, honey, you don't even understand. Like She's like, why don't you start to gamble it through the casinos. I'm like, I'm not a gambler. She's like, no, no, no, why don't you bring a gambler over there. I'm like, well you got someone? She goes, yeah, I got this guy. He's out of Vegas. He's a whale. I'm like, okay, and he's a he's a blackjack player. I'm like, all right, bring them and she's like, no, no, you got to meet him. And I remember I had to fly back to Santa Monica and I said, I went to the Fairmount on Ocean Avenue and I met this guy. He called himself Robin Hood. And I sit down with Robin Hood and I said, listen, man, I got some customers in Australia that are gambling. They're losing millions. I said, I'm sitting like ten million right now, and I need to move it. And he's like, all right, this is what I'll do. He says, I'm gonna charge you twenty five points. He says, I'm gonna have my casino host from Las Vegas call the casino over in Sydney at the Star Casino. My casino host will tell them that I'm coming into town and I'm a high roller. And he says, once I get there, you give me the bag of cash. I'll go in as this high roller, and the casino will already know I'm coming, and he says, I'll play a couple of hands. A couple of hours later, I'm gonna just tell him how I'm not feeling it today. Cash me out. I'm like, okay, let's run it. So he flies over. Give him one point five million. He goes to the Star Casino. He gambles it. He basically puts it, turns out one point five million cash. He turns it into chips, and he gambles a few hands. He says, a couple hours later, he was up and down, and he just told him, hey, I'm not feeling it. Cash me out. So obviously not going to give you cash. But they would give him a check, and a check he can take anywhere, right, So they give him this check in his name, and now he has a check and he's he called me. He says, I'm done. He says, I'm going back to Vegas. So twenty four hours later he's back in Vegas and he's now at his where he's this his high roller at the Venetian and he gets there and he calls me literally twelve hours later, and he goes, I'm all done. I got your money minus my twenty five percent. He's like, where do you want the cash? And I'm in Australia. I'm like, okay, fuck it. Drop it off with my girl's house, drop it off with my dad. He's like, consider it done. Boom dropped off like nine hundred and fifty thousand like that. I'm like, fuck you out. We figured it out. This this is the secret sauce. I'm telling he halfay, we got it. We're good. So I remember I got that money rounded up. I gave it to all half way, so he saw we were cleaning it. And then I get back to I get back to my apartment and I got a message from from Robinhood this RJ. He says, let's do it again. I said, come on down like I come on down under this time. I give him two point five million, and he goes, we're going to do the same thing. Let's run it. And he gets at the table and he does his thing, and I'm literally in the gym with my personal trainer and I get a call like three hours later and it's him. I'm like, fuck, that was fast. I pick it up. And he goes, we got a problem. I said, you got a problem. What do you mean we got a problem? He goes, I'm only I've only got three hundred thousand left.

00:52:41
Speaker 1: Oh.

00:52:41
Speaker 2: I said, what Wait a minute, Wait a minute. You didn't have any money to lose minus the twenty five percent commission like this, like we we shook hands like I'm old school, like what do you what do you mean? He's like, dude, just bring me some more money. I'm like, bring you some more money. I said, no, I'm going to come see you right now. I told my personal trainer. I said, man, I think this guy's rob me. I got all I could think about Matt. I was like, Okay, this guy's trying to burn me. And I tell the personal trainer. I said, man, let's put it on. Let's put on some suits. Like in Australia, if you're wearing suits. You're serious, right, So I put on a suit and he put on a suit. He's just like UFC trainer. He's not a fighter, but he's a trainer. And we get to the casino in this Robinhood. Literally you could just tell. You could tell he's really stressed out because when I got there, he's just like shaking. I'm like, oh fuck. And my trainer, I remember Sean. He's like, man, I'm gonna go ask the pit boss. I know. He comes back. He goes, man, he lost it. He fucking played like sixty thousand a hand, lost it all. I'm like, oh fucking way. And I'm like, what am I gonna do? Right? All I'm thinking about is that three hundred grand that he said he still he's still had. Like I'm like, hey, you got three hundred grand, go get that. You're not gonna take it gamble anymore, You're terrible gamble. You're gonna give me that three hundred You're gonna give it to me. And I said, in fact, you're gonna get your passport too. I want you. I don't want you leave in the country until we've resolved this matter, because right now I'm like, okay, where did he put the money? And he goes, okay. So we sit down and my trainer and I said, Okay, this is what we're going to do. We're going to have him grab the three hundred his passport and he's going to meet you. We're going to get a hotel room. And I said, we're going to have you meet up with him. And I told him, I said, you're going to meet at the Hilton hotel with your three hundred grand and your passport and you're going to meet my trainer. And he says, all right. We go to the Hilton, we get a room and we're waiting there Matt and we're like, fuck, where is this dude. He's not calling us, he's not answering his phone. And this dude burned us. We're out of here. So we go back to my little studio. We're sitting there now I'm really chugging that wine. I'm like, fuck, man, i just lost two point five million dollars of the cartail's money. I'm thinking of myself, said what the fuck am I going to do? Like what do you do? It's like eleven at night, and finally we get a phone call from this dude. He goes, I'm on my way. I was like, all right, I said, uh, I'm gonna send Sean right now. He says, I'll meet you at the room. So I said, Sean, you know what, I'm so paranoid right now. I'm literally drinking wine and I'm snorting coke at this point because I'm so nervous and stressed. I'm popping xanax right. I'm like, fuck it, Like, I'm like paranoid.

00:55:19
Speaker 1: Now.

00:55:19
Speaker 2: I'm like, here, take seven hundred grand because he's gonna give you three hundred all I'm like thinking numbers. I'm numbers guy. I'm like, you're gonna have a million. I said, take the million, put it in your house. Just keep it in your house. Like, so, I give him seven hundred grand. He puts it in a suitcase and he goes. He shows up to the Hilton. As soon as he shows up to the Hilton, there's four Australian authorities waiting for him, and he said, uh. They said, we got a phone call from an American that you have a gun in your room. And he's like, what the fuck. He goes, I don't got no gun in my room. They're like okay, well, we're gonna have to check your bags. So they open up the bags and they're seven hundred grand. And now I'm like, and I don't know any of this is happening. Like I told him, as soon as you get there, make sure you call me. And I'm on my in the studio called him and I'm like, oh, my trainer just burned me. He's not answering his phone, so all I'm thinking about is now in my train.

00:56:05
Speaker 1: To burn me.

00:56:07
Speaker 2: Fast forward like four hours later, it's like fuck three in the morning. I get this phone call from the New South Wales Police Department. I was like, oh no, and they said, we're calling about the seven hundred thousand dollars we found in Sean Carolyn's suitcase. I'm like, what are you talking about. She says, we'd like you to come into the police station. I said, well, I'm in Coojie Beach. I'm not coming to any police station right now. All I'm thinking about is like, okay, I got to get the fuck out of here. So a couple hours go by it and it's now morning time. No sleep, no sleep. I haven't slept. Probably the next five days I didn't sleep and Sean kids out and he's dude, the fuck guy. He's cooperating with the dude he called the police. I'm like, what do you mean he called the police. Yeah, I got arrested. They took the bag of cash. I don't worry. I just told him that you were an investor. Like what do you mean. He's like, dude, don't worry, We'll get the money. Like, how are we gonna get the money back? He just went to jail. I said, in fact, I'm going to get the fuck out of the Australia, the country right now. I'm panicking now. After he told me he's talking to the police, I'm like, I'm out of here. And uh, he said, don't worry, We'll get to seven hund grand back. Don't worry. All I'm thinking to myself is like, yeah, right, does he live there the trainer, Yeah, he lives there. Yeah he's auzy. And he's like, don't worry, I got I got lawyers. We'll get it back. Don't worry. This is a key moment of the story. So when he told me, he goes, I got I got a quoked lawyer. Don't worry. I'm like, dude, whatever you could get back. I'm happy with I just lost two point five I'll take anything. So now I'm down three point two million dollars in less than twenty four hours of the cartel's money.

00:57:43
Speaker 1: The fuck.

00:57:45
Speaker 2: I get on the plane and as soon as I touch down in Lax, guess who has messages me on that encrypted phone? No Halfay and El Halfe said, hey, what I need? Three million dropped off in San Diego. I'm like, oh no, Matt, Now this is where my heart just dropped. I was like, okay about that. I need to see you in person. Like at this point, man, there's no way I'm gonna tell this guy lost this money. There's no way. Then he's gonna have me whacked. I said, I need to see you in person. It's important. He says, you know I can't come in to the US. He says, meet me in Tijuana. He says, I'll have a driver pick you up. And I'm like, fuck, dude. The next drive from La I go back to that same parking lot, a jack in the box, ride it before you cross the bridge, and he says, at one o'clock you're going to be picked up by one of my drivers, and uh, I'll tell you what, man, I got in that parking lot in Tijuana or in Santa Cedro, and I fucking pop SANX, took some GHB. I fucking did big line of coke because like, if I'm gonna fucking die, I'm gonna be comfortable, right like this is just fucking just be numb. And I got over that that bridge. Man, I'm shaken.

00:58:56
Speaker 1: Now.

00:58:56
Speaker 2: I'm like, oh my god, I'm gonna fucking get whacked right now. I know it. I'm gonna get killed. One o'clock sharp, a fucking bulletproof suburban shows up and the fucking window rolls down, the glasses this stick. Fuck, that's how you know it's bulletproof. And they're like what, oh get in the car, like, oh my god. I get in the suburban and the driver has a pistol right on. This happened, like oh fuck. And then I look behind me and there's two guys with AK forty seven and I'm like, oh hell no, and these are Cecarios. I'm like, oh my god, like this is it. This guy's are just gonna go bang bang, and they're gonna go bury me somewhere in fucking Rosarto. And we drove for like two miles and all of a sudden, this entraage comes like of bulletproof vehicles, and then there's a hummer and there's fucking all these cars. There was like that motor crate. Do you know remember when we used to travel for sports, we'd get.

00:59:47
Speaker 1: Those front and back?

00:59:48
Speaker 2: Yeah? I remember those. First time? Yeah, first time I felt like that, but in a little different situation slightly so then I uh, I'm literally like thinking, okay, what now. We get into this town, like two miles past Rosaredo called Portanoivo to Lobster Town, and we pull into this fucking famous restaurant and the whole restaurants shut down. I'm like, dude, what the fuck is going on here? This restaurant usually has like fifty people outside, Like this is insane. And we get in there and he's already sitting down and he's got six sacaris at the table around him, and like, dude, I'm starting to shake.

01:00:24
Speaker 1: I still shake thinking about it.

01:00:27
Speaker 2: I get nervous. You're just talking about PTSD. And I sit down and I got those same fucking cucaras behind me now with standing up and we're in the broad daylight. Matt like, there's one lady making tortillas and there's one waiter. I'm looking around. I'm like, dude, he just reserved this whole place for us, right, And I'm like fuck. I was panicking, and I said, man, the only way I'm going to get out of this is if I tell the truth. Right, there's no and I can't. I'm not gonna ride it. The dude like transparencies, especially when you're dealing with these type of people. And I said, hey, man, I did the one point five. Remember I gave you the cash. I said, then we went back, we did the two and a half and he lost it. And I said, at the same time, one of my runners had seven hundred got picked off. He looked at me. He goes, whato I know? He goes, it's in the paper. He says, I know about it all. I said, what do you mean? He says, the guy's fucking singing like a Canario. He says it's uh. He says it's his common knowledge. He says uh. He says good news. Though, whatdo he says? Uh? You know the famous saying plata or plomo, which means you either pay me or you get the lead, right, the lead is the bullet, and he said that it's a famous Narco saying. He says, but the good news is you don't know me three point two million. He says. The good news is you owe me four million. But he says, the bad news is you now work for the cartel. And I said to myself that, I said, well, at least these two guys behind me aren't gonna kill me, right, Like that's all I can think about, Like Okay. Then he's like, salute, and I remember it when we cheers. I took that buck at Margarita and I fucking guzzled it. I was like, I'm a live I'm staying alive. And I'm I'm like, dude, I've figured out how to walk onto the volleyball team or walk on to the football team. I figured out how to smuggle stereoids. I'm going to figure out a way to pay this man back. That's why I like like a goosebumps just thinking about it, because that was the fucking the next rush in my life.

01:02:15
Speaker 1: So now you're you're on probably what your sixth life of nine lives?

01:02:22
Speaker 2: Yeah, I have about that.

01:02:24
Speaker 1: So now you owe.

01:02:24
Speaker 2: Four four million, But that's a good twenty five percent tax.

01:02:28
Speaker 1: Hey, I'll pay it right, Yeah, So what is the what did the mind of Owen come up with?

01:02:35
Speaker 2: Well, I didn't know what I was going to do, right, Like, how am I going to pay this dude back? And he says, you're going to take two years off? He says, let things cool down because that guy's working with the government. He goes, I feel it, and he says, run your booky business like like you you ran it like like before you met me. He says, just lay low. No more money laundering with the cash drop offs for me, no more fucking hustling this cocaine. He says. Two years. He says. After those two years, he says, then you're gonna work for me. He says, your job now is to figure out a way to get cocaine into Australia because you're not using my routes. I don't want you burning my routes. You already fucked me.

01:03:09
Speaker 1: I'm like, okay, So the whole two years to say, what, what are those two years like? Is it just constant stress trying to figure it out? You get some sort of normalcy? What's that two years like for you?

01:03:20
Speaker 2: Dude? I become a nervous wreck. I remember my my girlfriend became my wife. At the time. I'm like, literally like, are you okay. I'm like doing an eight ball a day. I puppin dan next like tic TACs. I'm literally drinking g HB out of a pyrel ball bottle like those hand sanitizers.

01:03:38
Speaker 1: GSP is a monster around there high school one time, bro, and it took my big ass.

01:03:42
Speaker 2: It takes you down, Oh man, takes anyone down.

01:03:44
Speaker 1: And you have it's it's the date rate. You have no control over your by I have a crazy story about you, but go ahead.

01:03:50
Speaker 2: I was date rapping myself. I just wanted to be numb on the couch like there's like you'll see the doc there's me like just fucking numb. I'm like this looks like a Wolf of Wall Street and I fucking like, dude, I'm scratching. I like, how am I going to get cocaine in Australia? That's the like Uncle Louis said, that's the hardest place in the world to get into. And over the time, you know, working in Australia, I met I met another kingpin that was in the business and he's like, hey, I'm retired, but if you ever decide to to work again, let me know. And I always remember that. So I was like, okay, I need to get a hold of this dude, but I can't fly in Australia now because I'm wanted. So I get ahold of where Yeah, my name is all on the paper as this business entrepreneur, as this businessman, and I'm like, fuck, man, what am I going to do? So he says, hey, let's meet in Fiji. So I fly over to Fiji. He flies from Australia to Fiji, which is like five hours, and we get there and we're just hanging out and I'm like, dude, I owe the fucking cartel fucking a lot of money. I said, I gotta. They're they're telling me I got to bring it into Australia. He's like, good luck. And we're drinking and I cheers to this wine, right, and I fucking write when I cheers the white wine. The fucking it came to me. I'm like, okay, I said, do you think if we got product in liquid form insented to you, would you be able to bring it back? He goes, absolutely, we got scientists that do that. He said that's easy, and so I was like, okay. I said, this is what I'm going to do. I said, this white wine right here, I'm going to turn it into cocaine. I'm going to take everything and I'm going to break it down. He goes, if you can figure it out, go ahead. So now I get back to America and I sit down with my contractor, who's you know. We're real estate developers. Now we're building all over the South Bay. And I tell him this only guy I told in the US. I said, dude, I'm in debt to the cartel. I said, do you think there's any way we could turn cocaine into liquid? He goes, yeah, we use Everclear ever cures one hundred and fifty proof alcohol. It's an old school. Contract tells me that, Like, dude, what the fuck is Everclear? I start to look it up. This is when like you finally able to use the internet, right, and like looking at it up and googling it, and it's like, you can't even buy it in CALIFORNI. Yeah, it's so I had to order it from like fucking Missouri or somewhere, right, And I shipped it to my PO box and I got this and you open it up, just fucking straight like alcohol like rubbing.

01:06:16
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I've drank some of that ship before show.

01:06:19
Speaker 2: And I bring these bottles back, and I remember I went to BEVMO before and I found the darkest bottle of wine from Napa Valley, and I wanted a white wine, so I found the darkenst bottle, like this black color almost right, And and I get back to our warehouse and I just start dumping all the wine out and then I take these kilos of cocaine, half dropped off ten of them, and we're in this this these bathrooms, we got bathrooms all over because we're using it on our jobs. So I'm in the bathtub literally with a one of those oars you use on those stand up paddle parts, right, and I'm standing in there and I got gloves on and these goggles. I look like a fucking mad scientist. And I'm pouring this ever clear in this athup and I'm literally just using this or to break it down, and the tekilos of cocaine is just dissaulting and melting. And now I'm like, okay, let's get the funnel. And we start to funnel all this liquid cocaine back into these bottles. And I remember I bought this corking kit where you put this cork in and you have this little lever and it corks it. And then they give you this wax and I put the red wax on it and i'd light it and it would. I took the fucking rubbing alcohol and I cleaned it and I put them back in the cases. Two cases of No one would know ever, right, there's no way. So I call on my runners and I said, hey, you're going to Apple Valley today. He goes for what I said, you got to take this wine there, and he doesn't ask questions. Right, you're getting paid, just come grab it. So he goes to n Apple Valley. He goes the same winery that it came from, and I said, find the closest FedEx. I said, as soon as you do, return address the same name. I said, put samples and send it from n Apple Valley. Please, We're not taking any chances. And six days later, my mate from Australia goes, mate, you're a fucking genius. I said, well, he says, it made it. I'm like, oh fuck yeah. So I just landed ten birds into Australia and the chemist brought it back. I think we paid them like two grand bird. So the chemist made like twenty grand and he brought it, brought it all back. It came out to nine, so we got nine and a half birds out of ten. So it was a win, right. We started to do it again, and we did again, and then the chemist he came after us with a hey, if I keep doing this, I want half, and I'm like, oh, hell no, You're not going to tax me half, like I already have to pay from all you guys said come on, I said, you want a job or not. And when he told me that, I said, fuck it, you're not going to have a job. I'm going to figure out another route. So I stopped the wine. I stopped it. I had to I kind of pay. Yeah, that's a tax, right, So I was like, fuck, I got to figure out a new route. And that's when I started the chocolate business.

01:08:59
Speaker 1: So how much did you knock off the tab.

01:09:01
Speaker 2: The two so twuberds. Let's see two loads ten ten each ten So by the time I think at that point I knocked off a million. After you do your because the exchange rate bringing the money back. It's you get taxed every way. And so now I still got three million that I owe him. And now I'm like scratching my head. I'm like, dude, what's the next, Like what the fuck? But I remember that rolodex. I remember there's these guys at usc that were in the fraternity that their parents were in the import export business of European chocolate, right, So I was like, okay, European chocolate. And I was like, okay, where is this guy going to be? And he was going to be at my buddy's wedding that I was actually in. And I was like, okay, he's bringing his wife and they're going to be at the wedding. This is perfect. This was like in Palm Springs, like two months later, so I was just timing it. I was like, okay, I'm going My idea is I'm gonna get him really fucked up, and I'm just going to hit him with the how would you like fifty thousand dollars a month to cash? And so I brought the fifty grand I showed up the wedding. He was sauced. I said, dude, I see your girl, she got that Chanel bag. Those red bottoms. I said she's expensive. Okay, I said that's expensive. I said, uh, I got a deal. I said, fifty grand and I gave it to him right there. He goes, what do you mean? I said, take it. I said, all I want is your expired chocolate, nothing else. He goes, man, I got fucking three pallettes of expired chocolate at the warehouse. Come grab it. I'm like, oh, I'm coming. I said, actually, come monday, you and I are going to sit down when we're sober, and we're going to talk about it. So I get I remember, come monday. He's sober. He's drinking coffee with me, and he's like, dude, what are you gonna do? I said, man, it's better you don't know. Just give me the fucking expired chocolate and let's end it there. And he's like, no, no, man, forgive me a fifty grand. I want to help you. I said, you do not want to help me? Please? No, it's sist, bro. And I grab him a fucking bag of coke and I go here. I said, it has something to deal with that. No, I'll help you, bro, I'll help you. Like, okay, fuck it, I said at six PM. I'm gonna have a fucking test around. I'm gonna have ten birds drop off by tank. And as soon as those dropped off, I want to make sure there's no employees there because no one can see this. He's like, you got it. I'll make sure everyone's gone. Six PM shows up. Tank shows up in this suv and I remember we're at the docks looking around. Tank brings the Duffel bag and I said, you really want to work? I said, all right, see that palette of expired chocolate. I want you to break it all down right now. I put it. This man into work. He's making fifty grand a month. I said, start opening the boxes of chocolate right now. He starts taking out the chocolate. So I start loading in kilas and he puts the chocolate back on. He seals it, and then I said, okay, so now I got ten kilos. I said, okay, start boxing it. And I'm writing down, okay, thirty two twenty four eighteen. I'm writing down all ten where they're going. I said, all right, wrap it up. So this Pallett's wrapped up four feet high of chocolate, European chocolate. I said, come come next week we're going to send this. I said, we're going to send it from your chocolate company, this logistics company, and it's going to go tash And I said, we're going to utilize your your your family business been around thirty years. So I could get my mate on the encryptophone. I said, give me a name of a candy store. I said, I'm sending you chocolate. He says, all right, cool, He gives me a candy store. We send it the next day, and uh, six days later, because that's how long it takes. He gets, uh, he gets this palette at his buddy's chocolate store. He says, fuck mate, the fuck they had to take it? I said, what do you mean they took it? He's like, dude, I can't find it anywhere. I'm like, dude, go to Bucks thirty two, go to Bucks twenty four, eighteen twelve, and he's like, holy shit, mate, you fucking made it. I said, fuck yes, I made it, dude, and I started fucking baking it with chocolate, and that fucking asshole that tried to tax me fifty percent and go fuck himself, right, Like that's all I was thinking. Back Now He's like, so I uh I finally paid these guys back may fuck and.

01:12:54
Speaker 1: Whatever long how long it take? So you took two years off? Two years? How long it take you to pay them?

01:12:58
Speaker 2: All? Was the twelve twenty fourteen Nice started working in By twenty fifteen of like summer of twenty and fifteen, I paid him off. The famous question al Hafe said, Hey, you're you're you're paid off. What do you want to do? I said, funk, I want to keep working. I want to man, listen, I play a moment. I would keep going like forever an athlete. I tell people, why would you do that? Fuck? I want to make my own money now. I just paid him, yeah, and everyone was like, fuck your fucking balls. I was like, dude, listen, and I already know the fucking FBI is watching me. We already know, like like we're going to job sites and there's like Verizon vehicles parked there for like five days. I'm like, dude, what the fuck is going on? Like and we're running license plates and you know my PI that works for me is like, dude, that's the FEDS. So I already know this. And eventually I started laundering money with these these guys that were cleaning my money that my Aussies connected me with. Go figure and these guys start laundering money through who knows how. But they had a system where they were charging me half right. And I remember he says, hey, go golf with Owen. So I met this guy at the golf course and he told me, hey, I'm I got a Swiss banker here, I got a Korean banker here, and we launder money. And he says we charged one and a half points. I'm like, fuck, it's too good to be true, Like nobody charges that. I was paying twenty five right. But my Aussie contact told me about him. Sound like, fuck it, it must be good. So I said, let's just do a sample. Let's do a test run, right, And I remember he dropped off two hundred and fifty thousand in Australia and like two days later we had two hundred and fifty minus the feet. I'm like, dude, these guys are solid. Then we kept doing it. Eventually a million dollars a week we started laundering through them, and unbeknownst to me, this whole time i'm doing it, I'm playing golf with them, drinking shots, fucking popping the pills. I'm sniffing coke. They're not. But you know, at the time, I don't know it, but these are undercovers. Is the FBI, you know? And you know I knew I had a feeling because we went on a date with my wife and I at the time, and she told me after dinner, she says, you know, when you went to the bathroom and you asked them to come join me, they paid the tab and she said, they paid the tab. It was it was it was I took the Madera It was like nine hundred dollars and she says they tipped them. They tipped nine hundred dollars. On top of it, She's tried to show off, and she says, I don't care who you are. You don't go to Toko Madera in a Tommy Bahama T shirt, right, And I was like thinking to myself, you're right, like these guys stuck out like sore thumbs. And she goes and you don't tip a thousand percent, like that's unheard of. And she goes and then they asked me what was my involvement in the business, And she goes, you don't ask that to a woman. And she's telling me all this, I'm like, holy shit, she goes, I think you're dealing with the FEDS. But like I was like, oh fuck, they got me. And like the day before I just did a five kilo deal because they're they're loaning our money. And they're like, hey, we know what game you're in. We're in the same game. Can you can you help us get some work. I'm like, yeah, I got you. Had five kilos dropped off and that's that's all they needed. Right, But like they befriending me, They're using encrypted phones like me. They're popping bills with me, they're gambling on my website with me, So like I'm thinking they're my boys. Yeah, And then we had a five hundred thousand dollars transaction that was supposed to go through and we're supposed to golf at the A v R Country Club in Carlsbad and it was for seven ten in the morning. And I remember the night before, LFE sent me a message. He says, you're gonna spend the next twenty years in a six baight cell. He says, no one works for twelve and a half percent in this business. You're dealing with the DEA, right and I said to myself, Fuck, man, I hope he's not. Is he for real? Right now? Like that's the whole night. I was up and I was saying to myself, do I go. I'm like, fuck it. I got up five in the morning and I showed up to that country club and I got there, Matt, and no one was in the arking lot. I was like, fuck, where's everyone? Like, this is the number one country club in San Diego. Why is no one here? There was like fucking a big f of three point fifty with like six gardeners in there. I'm like, God, damn, what's what's going on? Like my fuck it, I'm gonna get it. I'm gonna go to McDonald's. I go to McDonald's. No one's there, Like, I'm why is no one at the country club? That's weird? And this this this money launder calls me. He says, hey, where you're at. I'm in the clubhouse. I said, man, I was just there. I said, get back here, we got a tea time. I was, I fucking go back. I get to the parky a lot, my caddy shows up, I pop my trunk. I give them the bag of clubs. I go, man, where's everyone? He goes, I don't know, mister Hanson. He started shaking. I'm like, oh, hell no, this is this is not good. I go to my passenger side. I grab my man bag where I got my encrypted phones and my money. As soon as I grab that man bag, I turn around and there's fucking fifteen FBI agent. This comes out of the bushes, fucking helicopter in the sky, handcuffs thrown on me. I'm like, oh, that's it. It's a rap. People ask are you if you were you nervous? Matt. I was relieved, fucking relieve a lot. It was over. Yeah, finally over. I didn't have to work for the cartel. I no longer had to take bets. It was just like fucking It was like, finally it's over.

01:18:16
Speaker 1: So your sentenced to twenty one twenty one years, and you do nine about nine.

01:18:20
Speaker 2: And a half, and then I get out and do some halfway house time. They give me eighteen months in the halfway house.

01:18:26
Speaker 1: You got out for good behavior.

01:18:28
Speaker 2: Remember that corupt attorney. Yeah, okay, so the corupt attorney took it to trial, and this is my get back, right, So I tell people in gambling when you lose a bet, you want that get back. You gotta get your money back. So that corrupt attorney actually had me before I got arrested, had me go to the Beverly Hills Place police station and make a call with Australian authorities and telling him that the money was legit when the money wasn't legit. He said, mate, this is ain't He goes, mate, this ain't a US matter. You have nothing to worry about it. I said, man, we don't go to the police. I can't do it. You're out of your mind. He's just, mate, you have nothing to worry about. He says, we're going to get the money back. And I know why he wanted because he was gonna get half right. I said, man, if you're my lawyer, I'm going to take your advice. But in the US, we do not fucking talk to the police. Let alone go go tell them on ourselves.

01:19:16
Speaker 1: Right.

01:19:17
Speaker 2: He's like, mat, this the only way we're gonna get the money back. So I go to the police station and I make up the story that this attorney gives me and I'm in there telling him, yeah, this was legitimate money. I was an investor. Next thing, you know, I get sentenced to twenty one years and I'm like, fuck, my life's over. Five years into my bid, I'm at the United States Penitentiary I Lompoke and I get a knock on the door and it's the US Marshals. And one of my conditions was if after I do my twenty one years, I was supposed to get extracited and possibly do a life sentence in Australia for cocaine. And I was like, fuck, dude, they're here early, like they're just no one's telling me what's going on. And the Marshal's like, hey, you're going to Australia. I'm like, what do you mean. They're like, you're going to Australia. Like I said, I need to call my attorney. They're like, no, you're going to Australia right now. And they put me in this this US martiall vehicle and handcuff me and I get to Lax and there's three dudes and suits from Australia there, and then I go, hey, I need to call my US attorney right now. They're like no, you can't, Like dude, you can't just take me. Hell yes we can. You're under arrest, like, we have no right. Right we're in prison. My heart sank, like, dude, I'm getting extra died right now. I'm going to fucking do a life sentence over there. That's all I could think of. And I after seventeen hour flight, I land and they put me in this jail, right and they put put me in my own cell, and I said, hey, I need to call my attorney. And they finally give me a phone call, and I called my lawyer in the US. He says, hey, you just won the lottery in life. I said, I what he says, Remember that corrupt attorney you had? I said yeah. He says, well, guess what. He says. He's taking a trial and you're the only piece of the puzzle that knows that that money was illegal. He says, how would you like to get some of your life back? I said, fucking run it. What do I gotta do? He goes, you just got to tell him that the fucking lawyer gave me bad advice. I said, okay. So I went there, I took the stand and I said, you know what, this lawyer was my lawyer. He represented me. He told me to tell the story. He knew the fucking money was dirty and I just did what he said. I was taking his advice, and you know, they found him guilty. And the judge basically wrote my judge in America and said, mister Hansen had ineffective counsel in Australia and we believe any any kind of sentence reduction he could get would be well deserved. So six Buds goes by. I'm still in this Australian prison and the US Marshals come pick me up. This is during COVID when everything's shut down, so we can't fly out, so they picked me up in a G six. I got like six US Marshals the first time in the world. I felt like chople guozman man. They black boxed me. I was sitting on playing I'm like, what the fuck is happening right now? Right and the like you're going back to US prison. I'm like, oh, hell yeah, I get back and I was like, fuck, Like, what's going to happen? COVID shuts down the whole prison system. We're getting one shower a month, We're getting one phone call a month. I mean, it's unhumane, right, I tell people, this is like that was the worst time of my life being in prison during COVID because you can't leave yourself. And we had like three box lunches a day, like breakfast, lunch, and dinners, baloney and cheese, no coffee, no commissary, and I got down to like a buck seventy. I was fucking looked like from smally man. It was unhealthy, right, And I was like, man, what's this? What's going on? Like am I going to get any love? Like that's all I'm thinking of. Finally, this prison start moving and they transferred me to Colorado. And I'm in Colorado and my lawyer's like, we can't do anything. The judge has to rule and it's on the judge and the prosecution and he says, h we can't. We can't make the move. I'm like just sitting there, like, but you told me that, like we'd have a chance. He said, dude, let's just wait. Waiting for that is like watching paint dry. I'm like, man, this is awful, right. So finally my lawyer calls me and he says, hey, we got a we got a ruling today with the judge. The prosecution is asking for the.

01:23:22
Speaker 1: How long is this after you leave Australia.

01:23:24
Speaker 2: This is like four years later. Yeah, well wait wait yeah. So I get in there and my lawyers just says, hey, you know they asked him and they said, what's the prosecution recommending prosecution says, hey, you know that we got this letter from the judge and prosecutors in Australia. He he he really had a fucked up attorney. They called it a dodgy attorney, right, And they're like, well, what's mister Hanson been doing in prison? And I just had finished my master's degree. So my lawyer says, mister Hanson just finished, he got an honor, he graduated honors. Mister Hanson's got twelve people there because he's the tutor and his good behavior, and the judge goes, you know what, I'm gonna give mister Hanson eight and a half years off of sentence. So I dropped down to twenty one, dropped down to twelve and a half. President Trump had just passed the first step back. So I got like two years off my sentence for good behavior, and then my master's got me another year off. And by the time this was all said and done, I had like three months to go. Yeah, and they said in twenty twenty four, you're gonna get released to a halfway house for eighteen months. And that's how it went down.

01:24:35
Speaker 1: Yeah, I know, we got a we got five minutes. But while in prison, outside of getting your masters, let's bring over what you created and now above board, what you got going on.

01:24:45
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a it's a whole nother Uh.

01:24:47
Speaker 1: You just bring the whole bag.

01:24:48
Speaker 2: Yeah, just just bring the loose ones, heard Dame Eli. So listen now, I said, man, what am I gonna do? I'm in prison. I'm like, man, what am I going to do? And I got my MBA. I'm like, dude, I got to start a legitimate business now right. I'm a convicted felon. And in there were any way we could get protein. We would try mackerel, tuna. It just gets old, right, you tired of eating fish. And one day I would make these protein shakes in prison, and we'd put our protein chicks in these empty peanut butter jars and we'd shake them up. Sometimes we'd slice bananas in there. Sometimes I swirls of peanut butter from the commissary. And in prison, we don't have refrigeration, right, so we use a mop bucket and we throw ice in there, and that's how we keep our drinks cold and our sodas. And one day my celly comes because he was like the guy in charge of getting the ice for the cell he comes. He goes say, Selly, we got problem. I said what he says, The ice machine's broken. I was like, oh fuck, how am I going to keep my fucking protein shake hold. He's like, don't worry, We've got two inches of ice left. I'm gonna throw some salt on it, he says. By the time you get back from your workout, he says, it'll be nice and cold. Don't worry. I go work out with my crew. I come back and I grab my shake and I coat to fucking drinking and it's rock hard. Oh motherfucker selling. You just told me it was going to be fucking good, he says, Man, what do you complain about? Just eat it ice cream? And I ate it. I'm like, dude, this is protein ice cream. And I was like, oh fuck, this is amazing. And then and then I started make ice cream in prison. I was like, dude, I'm going to sell it for like air one prices fifteen dollars a jar, right, Like, first of all, I don't want to make it. If I do have to make it, i'm gonna charge fifteen. And I started making it, and then I had every guy that was in the cell block. I said, hey, I'm paying a dollar a jar. If you guys make ice cream, I'll buy it for a dollar. So I'm teaching everyone how to make it, and they're giving it to me because they know have the customers. But in prison, you don't realize, like a dollar a jar, that's they're making seven dollars for one day's work in prison. Like for the average hollars is like twenty cents a now, So these guys are making triple what they make sewing gloves for the military, you know. So I got the whole block. I remember it was Super Bowl Sunday and I had a pre order of fifty ice cream instead that fifteens. I had the whole block fucking baking my ice cream. They're shaking this fucking rock salt in the mop bucket and with four hours later they bring me all these ice creams right, and I already have the distribution handled obviously, and I distributed the ice cream, and I remember that was my last Super Bowl and I got to the halfway house and I was like, man, what am I going to do now? And I'm a convicted felon right and I'm like, funk, what am I going to do? I said, Man, I remember my boy Rolling calls me from Miami and he's like, dude, just just tell me something you did in prison that you enjoyed. I said, man, I'm not gonna lie. I started making protein ice cream and it felt like the same rushes as moving weight, Like I got my blood flowing. And he's like, dude, that's the perfect comeback story. He says, why don't we create a brand? And he helped me create the brand California Ice Protein.

01:27:52
Speaker 1: And you said, yeah, reasons behind this reason?

01:27:55
Speaker 2: So like this one right here, this is the best one, because this guy right here was my my full back, Brandon Hancock. We used to call them Brandon Hancock's name. We used to call him swoolcock. Obviously, I can't fucking name an ice cream, so I call it strawberry swool cake, right, Okay, that's after him for being there in prison. That's the bestseller in California. And then this one right here is a coliseum cookies and cream obviously, because I sum right, and this one, this is my favorite. Right. It's called have your cake and eat it too. Every girlfriend I've ever dated said, man, you want your cake and you want to eat it too. So I said, girls, you get your own ice cream. Here, you go right your heart, eat your heart out. So that those are the man. I mean, these have been on dry ice, so don't. I don't want you to burn your tongue.

01:28:41
Speaker 1: But yeah, yeah, so where can we Where can they find these works? Your website?

01:28:46
Speaker 2: What's going on the websites? Easy to remember? Eat ice protein dot com or California ice protein dot com. I'm the California kid. That's where you get my book.

01:28:55
Speaker 1: We want need to do all the smoke partnership with this.

01:28:57
Speaker 2: I would love to.

01:28:58
Speaker 1: Let's do it.

01:28:59
Speaker 2: Yeah, and just coming out with a non dairy. A lot of people are black, so I got a non dairy.

01:29:05
Speaker 1: We Oh man, congratulations.

01:29:07
Speaker 2: Fuck.

01:29:07
Speaker 1: I mean, obviously, your journey a lot of ups and downs, but while you're telling your story, the whole thing I'm thinking about this dude is a genius. I mean, the way you were able to think your way out of these situations to save your life constantly, and then while you're in for some shit, you come up with the next act and I wish you nothing but the best of luck, and I'm sure you're gonna invent a few more things before our time on this earth is up. And it was a pleasure to really get to sit down and get the inside scoop with you, man. Thank you for your time, Thanks for having me, no doubt for that was insane. That's dope.

01:29:40
Speaker 2: That's a wrap.

01:29:41
Speaker 1: I hope you guys enjoyed the show. You can catch us on all the Smoke Productions YouTube and the DraftKings Network. We'll see you guys next week.