The Connect- with Johnny Mitchell

In this episode, a former drug trafficker "Fernando" breaks down how crystal meth from Mexico’s most violent region flooded small-town America — and how he lived at the center of it.

Raised in a multi-generation trafficking family tied to Michoacán, Fernando reveals how meth labs in Mexico, tight-knit immigrant networks, and overlooked U.S. towns created one of the most devastating drug pipelines in modern history. From burying cash in the ground to moving hundreds of pounds before age 20, this is an unfiltered look at the business, culture, and consequences of the meth trade.

Fernando discusses:

-Why Michoacán became the epicenter of crystal meth

-How cartel families expand into small U.S. towns

-The economics of meth vs cocaine

-Gambling, narco culture, and “front” businesses

-How federal cases are quietly built for years

-Life inside federal prison and the cost to family

-Why leaving the game is harder than entering it

This episode is raw, detailed, and brutally honest — a firsthand account of how an entire system operates in plain sight.

This Episode Is #Sponsored By The Following:

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00:00 How Michoacán Meth Changed Everything

02:14 Meet Fernando: Family History in Trafficking

07:11 Michoacán's Cartel Culture and Drug Routes

10:49 Growing Up in a Narco Family in the US

15:36 This Episode Is Sponsored By The Wellness Company

17:15 Why Michoacanos Move to the US Drug Market

24:08 Volleyball, Gambling & Community: The Social Side

30:09 This Episode Is Sponsored By Ava

32:24 Drug Dealing, Customers, and Cutting Product

42:09 Transitioning from Cocaine to Meth

47:41This Episode Is Sponsored By Betterhelp

49:04 How the Meth Market Works

53:19 Cooking, Stretching, and Selling Meth

01:00:13 Family Roles, Buried Money, and Prison

01:10:05 Life in Prison and Staying Connected

01:21:03 Getting Busted & Prosecuted

01:31:36 Culture, Resourcefulness, and Prison Life

01:41:00 Reflections, The Present & Trying to Go Legit
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In this episode, Johnny sits down with Luis “Spider” Gutierrez, a longtime Northern California gang figure and former leader within the Norteño structure, to tell one of the most intense and unfiltered prison stories ever shared on the podcast.

Raised in Salinas, California—one of the most gang-impacted cities in the state—Spider was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to decades in California’s most violent Level IV prison yards. What followed was nearly 20 years of nonstop war behind the walls: mass riots, stabbings, political power struggles, and surviving situations most inmates don’t live to talk about.

Spider breaks down:

-What it’s really like to enter prison already marked for war

-How Northern California gang politics actually function on the yards

-100-man riots, organized violence, and surviving multiple gunshot wounds

-The reality of loyalty, reputation, and respect inside high-security prisons

-Why he never dropped out—and how he eventually made it home alive

This is not a glamorized story. It’s raw, graphic, and brutally honest—told by someone who lived every second of it and is still dealing with the aftermath today.

Go Support Spider!

IG: https://www.instagram.com/level4fitnessnorcal/

This Episode Is #Sponsored By The Following:

Hims! To get simple, online access to personalized, affordable care for ED, Hair Loss, Weight Loss, and more, visit https://hims.com/CONNECT

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PrizePicks! Visit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/CONNECT and use code CONNECT and get $50 in lineups when you play your first $5 lineup!

Join The Patreon For Bonus Content!

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00:00 Intro: Meet Spider - Notorious Prisoner

02:30 Life in Salinas: Growing Up in the Gang Epicenter

10:00 From Athlete to Gangster: What Drew Me to the Streets

14:30 Joining and Rising in Nuestra Familia

19:00 Attempted Murders and Sentencing: My Case

25:30 This Episode Is Sponsored By HIMS!

27:27 Walking Into War: Reception to First Riots

32:00 Yard Wars & Violence: Surviving and Fighting in Prison

39:30 Seven Years of War: Northern Politics & Respect

49:00 Major Riot: 4 Against 100+ and Getting Shot

52:24 This Episode Is Sponsored By Mando and PrizePicks!

55:10 Cell Phone, Smuggling & Making Money Inside

01:07:00 Staff Relations: Manipulating and Networking with COs

01:15:30 Contraband Hustles: Drugs, Phones & Profits

01:22:00 Running Salinas Valley: Power, Status & More Riots

01:33:00 Stabbings, Politics & Staying Alive

01:44:30 Infamy and Respect: Becoming the Northern Spartan

01:53:00 Stabbing My Cellmate: The Story Behind It

02:09:00 Hole, SHU, and Working the Politics

02:18:00 The End of the Stretch: Getting Released & Reflections

02:26:00 Aftermath: Returning Home, Living Free, and Closing Thoughts
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OG Gigavelli is a certified Miami original — born into violence, shaped by the streets, and forged in some of the most brutal prisons in America.

OG breaks down a side of Miami history almost never discussed: the Black and Islander underworld that operated alongside — and often beneath — the Cocaine Cowboys era. From Liberty City and Brownsville to federal penitentiaries and near-death prison riots, this is a raw, unfiltered account of survival, crime, and eventual transformation

OG came up during the wild 80s and 90s, where robbery was second nature, violence was currency, and the streets raised kids faster than families ever could. He details:

-Seeing dead bodies as a child in Miami
-Carjackings and robberies in broad daylight
-The structure of Miami’s Black drug economy before it was ever “professionalized” elsewhere
-Stabbings, race wars, and near-fatal ambushes inside state and federal prison
-How Islam and time forced him to confront who he had become

This isn’t glorification — it’s documentation. A firsthand account of a world most people only know through movies like Scarface or Cocaine Cowboys, told by someone who actually lived it.

Go Support OG!

YouTube:  @WhatTheyDoPodcast305 
Book: https://a.co/d/2iiDBlo
IG: https://www.instagram.com/og_gigaveli
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gigaveli

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00:00 OG Gigavelli's Violent Origins & Miami Streets
05:36 Life in the Miami Hood & Early Hustle
12:00 Structure of Miami Drug Trade
19:03 Island Influence & Culture in Miami Crime
26:27 Transition to Robbery & Early Trouble
33:03 Juvenile Prison: Survival & Violence
40:28 Rising in Street Hierarchy & Prison Politics
45:06 State Prison: Robbing from Inside
53:34 Confrontations, Transfers, & Release
01:01:01 Struggles with Release & Cycle of Incarceration
01:06:34 Running a Trap and Chasing Fast Money
01:13:53 CM: The Harshest Lockdown in Florida Prisons
01:19:21 Post-Prison Hustling & Out-of-Town Moves
01:27:32 The Ecstasy Era & Big Hustles in Tennessee
01:34:08 Getting Caught: Counterfeit Money & Fed Indictment
01:41:58 21 Years in the Feds & Road to Redemption
01:46:11 OG Gigavelli's Books, Podcast & New Message
01:52:39 Miami Legacy, Final Reflections & Sign-Off
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In this explosive episode of The Connect, Johnny sits down with Danesa White, better known as Bella Barcode — a former Oakland hustler who built a multi-million-dollar fraud and jewelry embezzlement operation before the age of 21.

Raised in the heart of the Bay Area hustle, Danesa breaks down how she went from boosting clothes as a teenager to running sophisticated bank fraud, credit card approval schemes, and high-end jewelry thefts across all 50 states. At her peak, she was clearing hundreds of thousands of dollars a day, selling stolen diamonds, watches, and luxury goods to NFL players and major drug dealers — all while living a jet-set lifestyle that included Dubai, Miami, New York, and beyond.

-In this raw, unfiltered conversation, Bella Barcode explains:

-How early-2000s bank and credit card fraud actually worked

-How jewelry stores could be forced into approving six-figure purchases

-The psychology of confidence, misdirection, and playing the role

-The moment everything collapsed — arrests, probation violations, and a federal case

-Serving 7 years in federal prison and what women’s prison is really like

-Why she finally chose to tell her story — and the price that came with it

Today, Danesa has turned her life around and is inspiring others through her autobiography Recidivism: Beauty Before Bars, proving that survival, accountability, and redemption are possible — even after losing everything.

This is one of the most detailed breakdowns of white-collar street crime ever told on the podcast — and a powerful cautionary tale about how fast money can disappear just as quickly as it comes.

Go Support Danesa!

Website: https://www.itsbellabarcode.com/

Book: https://a.co/d/ajXBp6y

IG: https://www.instagram.com/itsbellabarcode_/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bellabarcode

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bella.barcode

This Episode Is #Sponsored By The Following:

PrizePicks! Visit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/CONNECT and use code CONNECT and get $50 in lineups when you play your first $5 lineup!

Rocket Money! Cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money. Go to https://rocketmoney.com/connect today.

Join The Patreon For Bonus Content!

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00:00 Intro & Guest Overview
01:27 Life in Oakland & Family Background
03:35 First Hustles and Growing Up
07:46 Mastering the Bank Fraud Game
13:30 Taking the Hustle Nationwide
20:36 Scaling Up: Diamonds & High-End Stores
25:00 Inside the Diamond Game
34:24 Living Large: Lifestyle & Risks
36:33 Today's Sponsors
39:26 Making Mistakes & Legal Scrapes
43:00 Jewelry Licks & Giant Scores
50:54 How the Scam Actually Worked
55:00 The Downfall: Getting Caught
01:02:08 Federal Prison & Doing Time
01:13:01 Coming Home: Reentry & Building Again
01:18:45 Personal Growth & Female Bosses
01:24:48 Redemption: New Career & Book
01:28:01 Reflections & Life Lessons
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What does it really look like to live as a professional high-stakes gambler at the very top of the casino food chain?

In this episode, Johnny sits down with RJ “Chip” Ryan — a legendary blackjack whale who spent decades betting millions per hand in casinos from Atlantic City to Las Vegas to Macau. RJ tells the raw, unfiltered story of how he went from a broke gambler driving to Atlantic City with his last $5,000, to carrying $10 million in checks, flying private jets, rubbing shoulders with billionaires and celebrities, and taking casinos for millions of dollars at a time.

RJ is also known to many as “Robin Hood of Las Vegas” from the Cocaine Cowboys universe — the man who helped launder cartel money through casinos, later cooperating with the feds and offering a very different version of events than what’s been told on screen.

This episode dives deep into:

-The real math and psychology behind winning at high-stakes blackjack

-How casinos court, reward, and ultimately try to break whales

-Blowing millions in a single night — and coming back the next day to win it all back

-Private jets, penthouse suites, celebrity parties, and casino politics

The emotional toll of gambling, addiction, loyalty, karma, and survival

-RJ’s personal reckoning after caring for his mother, losing everything, and betting his life on one final run

This is not a glamorized gambling story — it’s a brutally honest look at the highs, lows, wins, losses, and moral gray zones of a life lived on the edge.

Stick around until the end and decide for yourself:

Was RJ a genius, a degenerate, a hustler — or all three?

This Episode Is #Sponsored By The Following:

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00:00 Intro: High Stakes Gambling Stories
01:19 Growing Up in Philly & The Family Hustle
04:44 Early Gambling Influences & Lessons
08:09 Professional Gambling: Setting Goals
13:19 The Turning Point: Mother’s Illness and Debt
16:35 This Episode Is Sponsored By RIDGE
18:25 Building a High Roller Reputation
29:01 Life as a Whale: Jets, Parties & Big Wins
36:46 Vegas High Roller Lifestyle & Big Losses
43:34 A Word From Today's Sponsors
46:15 International Gambling & Casino Barred Stories
01:00:53 Advanced Blackjack Strategy & Discipline
01:12:12 Vigilante Gambler: Involvement With Law Enforcement
01:28:01 The Robin Hood 702 Charity Era
01:37:08 Australia, Owen Hanson & The Money Laundering Allegation
01:58:46 Confrontations, Lawsuits & Truth vs. Documentary
02:12:08 Working with the Feds: Taking Down Criminals
02:31:02 Cartel Connections & Final Reflections
02:38:44 Outro: The High Roller’s Ongoing Journey
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