Borderland: Narcosis with Vincent 'Rocco' Vargas

Jon Griggs returns to Borderland: Narcosis for his third appearance, picking up a story that's grown far beyond where it started. What began as a routine assignment to secure a Kentucky cattle farm in 2023 has unraveled into a $4.5 billion money-laundering case with alleged ties to the CJNG cartel and a string of connections Jon never expected to find.

Listen to Jon's previous appearances for the full background on the Kentucky cattle case.

Part 1: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/borderland-narcosis-with-vincent-rocco-vargas/id1730589324?i=1000705242380

Part 2: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/borderland-narcosis-with-vincent-rocco-vargas/id1730589324?i=1000746748432

Chapters:

(00:00) Welcome Back & The Case So Far
(02:40) How the Ghost Cattle Scheme Worked
(06:37) The Federal Case Was Dismissed
(09:06) $10 Billion in Bank Transfers and No Arrests
(13:18) Someone Impersonated Jon to Set a Trap
(22:04) Inside the Mansion: The 911 Call and the Party
(31:25) Following the Money to Florida
(38:39) The Hemp Fraud Playbook
(42:14) The Sheriff Election and Civil Rights Investigations
(49:00) A Message to Federal Investigators

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

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On today's episode, Vince sits down with Karlo Villalpando, a 10-year veteran of Mexican Customs and former Port Director in Sonoyta, to discuss the recent surrender of Sinaloa's Secretary of Public Safety to the DEA, the SDNY indictment naming Sinaloa state officials allegedly on the cartel's payroll, and what President Claudia Sheinbaum's government is and isn't doing about it. They also cover the cartel's parallel governance over U.S. companies operating in Mexico and whether U.S. operators are already on the ground.

Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original

Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction
(03:05) What Americans Get Wrong About the Cartels
(05:17) The Cartels Are a Parallel Government in Mexico
(12:17) Why Corruption Runs Mexico's Government
(16:38) "They Offered Me Cash, Cars, and Properties" — A Cartel Bribe Attempt
(21:21) A Sinaloa Cabinet Official Surrenders to the DEA
(22:21) Cartels Inside U.S. Companies Operating in Mexico
(33:26) Is Sheinbaum's Government Actually Fighting the Cartels?
(44:30) Will the U.S. Strike Mexico? And Why U.S. Operators May Already Be There

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

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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

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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