Borderland: Narcosis with Vincent 'Rocco' Vargas

Today’s guest is Jaeson Jones. He is a retired Captain from the Texas Department of Public Safety's Intelligence and Counterterrorism Division, and a recognized expert of Mexican drug cartels and transnational crime. He is also a correspondent for Newsmax.

Borderland: Narcosis is an IRONCLAD Original

Chapters
(00:00) Intro
(02:33) Landing the Interview with Secretary Omar Harfuch
(05:58) Inside the Operation That Killed El Mencho
(09:27) The Shift From Cartel Bosses to "The Company"
(12:54) Why Cartel Figures Are Turning Themselves In
(16:47) Current Border Conditions in Roma, Texas
(21:15) Meth Trafficking Ties to Sinaloa Factions
(28:41) Cartel Infiltration of Oil and Mining in Texas
(35:02) "It's Over": Jones' Prediction on Cartel Collapse
(40:06) What's Next for Jaeson Jones

Sponsors:

1st Phorm:
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David Holthouse is a journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker best known for his immersive "gonzo" reporting style and his work infiltrating extremist groups, criminal networks, and other hard-to-access subcultures. His films and series include Narco Mennonites, Sasquatch, The Last Narc, Krishnas: Gurus, Karma, Murder, Night Stalker, and more.

Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original

Chapters:

00:04:29 Building Trust with Cops and Criminals
00:07:07 Patterns Across Criminal Organizations
00:10:21 The Hells Angels & Cartel Connections
00:13:11 Cartels: A Global Enterprise
00:17:41 Under-the-Radar Threats: Militias & White Nationalists
00:19:23 Kratom, Designer Drugs & the Legal Drug Wave
00:21:07 Why the War on Drugs Isn't Working
00:35:31 Undercover with Neo-Nazis
00:39:35 The Gun Trade to Mexico
00:46:28 What's Next: Ryan Wedding & CIA in Mexico
00:50:07 Should We Legalize Drugs?

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

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In this 4-chapter film, Borderland: Narcosis host Vince ‘Rocco’ Vargas looks at four stories from the world of cartels and organized crime: The missing women of Juárez, the rise and fall of MS-13, the strange role that Santa Muerte plays in cartel culture, and how the CJNG infiltrated America’s living rooms with elaborate phone scams.Each of these stories initially ran as part of Borderland’s Reasonable Fear series. 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=ironcladSubscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/borderland-narcosis-with-vincent-rocco-vargas/id1730589324Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6w9YAIljxWKXsetl10w9Qp?si=8a5eb53e12b74e3a
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On today’s episode, Vince welcomes back Katarina Szulc, investigative journalist and host of the Ironclad Original, Borderland: Dispatches. Kat shares insights from her recent reporting in Ukraine, where authorities are investigating claims that foreign fighters with cartel ties traveled to the front lines to learn modern combat tactics before returning to Latin America.

The conversation also explores foreign mercenaries in Ukraine, the evolution of cartel warfare, U.S. pressure on cartel leadership, corruption in Mexico, and what these developments could mean for the future of organized crime.

Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original

Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction
(01:44) Cartels, Ukraine, and FPV Drone Warfare
(03:26) The Colombian Connection & Drone Schools in Lviv
(09:52) American Mercenaries & Background Checks on the Front Lines
(11:33) Gamers vs. Combat: How Simple is FPV Drone Flying?
(15:24) Behind the Scenes of the Global Mercenary Recruitment Machine
(25:06) US Boots on the Ground & The Standoff over Drone Strikes in Mexico
(29:51) Cartel Corruption & Political Gaslighting in Sinaloa
(34:22) The 2026 World Cup: A Cartel Moneymaker?
(47:17) 2026 Wrap-Up: The Year of the Fallen Kingpins & The Endless Drug War

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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What started as a routine security check in rural Kentucky unraveled into what might be the largest cattle fraud scheme in U.S. history, and that was just the tip of the iceberg.

This compilation brings together the complete, escalating investigation by Borderland into a massive criminal enterprise that the authorities seemingly refuse to touch. Follow security contractor Jon Griggs as he risks everything to expose a web of corruption that stretches far beyond the pasture.

Borderland is an IRONCLAD Original

Chapters:

00:00 – Part 1: The Phantom Herd
15:42 – Part 2: Six Months Later (The Danger Escalates)

32:15 – Part 3: One Year Later (The Cover-Up & The Unseen Evidence)

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