Borderland: Narcosis with Vincent 'Rocco' Vargas

On this episode of Borderland: Narcosis, Vince Vargas speaks with retired Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens about the risk of the Northern Border, the state of border security, and threats to national security. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original Sponsors: Watch ‘Pressure’ in theaters starting May 29th. 1st Phorm: Go to⁠ ⁠https://www.1stphorm.com/borderland⁠⁠ and get free shipping on any orders over $75, free 30 days in the app for new customers, and 110% money back guarantee on all of our products. Norwood Sawmills: Learn more about Norwood Sawmills and how you can start milling your own lumber at https://norwoodsawmills.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=ironclad&utm_campaign=ironclad Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/borderland-narcosis-with-vincent-rocco-vargas/id1730589324 Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6w9YAIljxWKXsetl10w9Qp?si=8a5eb53e12b74e3a Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guest is Roger Reaves. He spent more than 30 years prison, having escaped five different times. He was heavily involved in smuggling operations for the Medellín Cartel and Pablo Escobar. Is the author of the book Smuggler: https://www.amazon.com/Smuggler-Mr-Roger-Reaves/dp/0692630538 Borderland: Narcosis is an IRONCLAD Original Sponsors: 1st Phorm: Go to⁠ ⁠https://www.1stphorm.com/borderland⁠⁠ and get free shipping on any orders over $75, free 30 days in the app for new customers, and 110% money back guarantee on all of our products. Norwood Sawmills: Learn more about Norwood Sawmills and how you can start milling your own lumber at https://norwoodsawmills.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=ironclad&utm_campaign=ironclad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cory Gautereaux, founder of the GOAT Initiative, returns to Borderland to discuss what he and his team are seeing on the San Diego border. He covers a recent incident involving three Russian nationals found 10–12 miles inside California, the discarded passports and documents his team continues to recover, the role of contractors along the border, and the disconnect between federal messaging and what locals are reporting on the ground. Follow Cory: X / Instagram: @TheCoryGoat | @GoatInitiative Support the GOAT Initiative: https://www.thegoatinitiative.org/ Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original Chapters: (00:00) Intro (01:00 ) 4 Years Later: What's Changed (and What Hasn't) on the San Diego Border (05:50) "Zero Crossings" Was a Lie: 3 Russians, 12 Miles Inside California (08:25) Why Border Patrol Can't Respond: Agents Pulled to Deport Grandmas (13:35) What the GOAT Initiative Actually Does With Captured Intel (15:55) Special Interest Aliens Still Crossing: China, Pakistan, Iran on Turkish Docs (22:25) Mexican Military Crossed 300 Yards Into the U.S. (26:20) California's Sanctuary Loophole: Why $50K Buyers Go Home Free (31:25) The Documents Nobody Will Process: Mauritania, Ethiopia, and the Warlord Problem (42:55) "The Guys With Beards": Why Contractors Are the Most Secure Part of the Border (49:00)Breaking Down the White House "Zero Crossings" Claim Sponsors: 1st Phorm: Go to⁠ ⁠https://www.1stphorm.com/borderland⁠⁠ and get free shipping on any orders over $75, free 30 days in the app for new customers, and 110% money back guarantee on all of our products. Norwood Sawmills: Learn more about Norwood Sawmills and how you can start milling your own lumber at https://norwoodsawmills.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=ironclad&utm_campaign=ironclad Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/borderland-narcosis-with-vincent-rocco-vargas/id1730589324 Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6w9YAIljxWKXsetl10w9Qp?si=8a5eb53e12b74e3a Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's episode, Vince welcomes back former DEA Special Agent in Charge Ray Donovan, the man who led the hunt for El Chapo, for a breakdown of where the hunt for Iván goes next, why the Chapitos can't survive the way their father did, and what the U.S. government's new whole-of-government strategy actually looks like from the inside. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (01:31 The Chapitos on the DEA's radar during the El Chapo case (02:03) Why Iván is the last man standing in Sinaloa (03:13) CJNG fractures and the battle for Sinaloa (07:35) Iván vs. El Chapo: who's more dangerous? (11:21) Sheinbaum's shift and the new U.S.–Mexico collaboration (13:39) How the U.S. really took down El Mencho (16:18) The CJNG power vacuum (17:15) Iván Guzmán: public enemy number one (31:37) How Ray would take down Iván today (33:53) Hunting Iván vs. hunting El Chapo (35:05) China, fentanyl precursors, and the financial side (40:07) How cartels are using technology and social media Sponsors: 1st Phorm: Go to⁠ ⁠https://www.1stphorm.com/borderland⁠⁠ and get free shipping on any orders over $75, free 30 days in the app for new customers, and 110% money back guarantee on all of our products. Norwood Sawmills: Learn more about Norwood Sawmills and how you can start milling your own lumber at https://norwoodsawmills.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=ironclad&utm_campaign=ironclad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, Vince sits down with Hector Berrellez, a former DEA agent and lead investigator on the 1985 murder of agent Kiki Camarena. Berrellez breaks down his role in the case, efforts to secure key witnesses, and the investigative tactics used at the time. He also discusses allegations he uncovered, including claims involving the CIA, along with internal pushback and unresolved questions surrounding the case. The conversation also touches on how cartel operations have evolved and Berrellez’s perspective on ongoing drug enforcement efforts. Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (01:31) Taking Over the Kiki Camarena Case (06:06) Discovering CIA Involvement (08:45) The Real Reason Kiki Was Murdered (10:35) Addressing Skeptics and "The Last Narc" (14:08) Orders from Washington and the Cover-up (17:06) High-Level Corruption and Ricky Ross (23:51) Evolution of Cartels and Extermination Camps (33:00) The Future of the Drug War and Fentanyl Sponsors: 1st Phorm: Go to⁠ ⁠https://www.1stphorm.com/borderland⁠⁠ and get free shipping on any orders over $75, free 30 days in the app for new customers, and 110% money back guarantee on all of our products. GHOSTBED: Go to https://www.GhostBed.com/IRONCLAD and use code IRONCLAD for an extra 15% off sitewide. Norwood Sawmills: Learn more about Norwood Sawmills and how you can start milling your own lumber at https://norwoodsawmills.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=ironclad&utm_campaign=ironclad Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices