Real stories from the people everyone else judges first. Hosted by Ian Bick — former federal inmate turned speaker and podcaster — this show sits down with former inmates, recovering addicts, bikers, law enforcement, investigators, and people who have lived through the darkest chapters of their lives. Each episode dives deep into crime, prison, addiction, trauma, redemption, mental health, street life, recovery, and second chances — without scripts, filters, or fake narratives. If you’re into true crime, raw prison stories, personal transformation, and real human honesty, you’ll feel at home here. This isn’t entertainment. It’s lived experience.
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Real stories from the people everyone else judges first. Hosted by Ian Bick — former federal inmate turned speaker and podcaster — this show sits down with former inmates, recovering addicts, bikers, law enforcement, investigators, and people who have lived through the darkest chapters of their lives. Each episode dives deep into crime, prison, addiction, trauma, redemption, mental health, street life, recovery, and second chances — without scripts, filters, or fake narratives. If you’re into true crime, raw prison stories, personal transformation, and real human honesty, you’ll feel at home here. This isn’t entertainment. It’s lived experience.
I Was A DEA Agent Who Took Down The Cali Cartel | Chris Feistl
Locked In with Ian Bick
1 hour 50 minutes
3 days ago
I Was A DEA Agent Who Took Down The Cali Cartel | Chris Feistl
Chris Feistl spent 26 years working for the DEA, including three years in Colombia during the 1990s, helping take down one of the most powerful drug empires in history — the Cali Cartel. His real-life work was portrayed in Narcos: Season 3, but the truth behind the show is even wilder. From undercover operations to high-stakes cartel takedowns, he witnessed firsthand the danger, corruption, and chaos of the war on drugs. Over his career, he earned the DEA Award of Honor, Award for Exceptional Service, and multiple Performance Awards for his role in international investigations. In this exclusive interview, he opens up about what really happened in Colombia, how Narcos got it right (and wrong), and what it was like to spend decades hunting some of the world’s most dangerous traffickers.
#LockedInWithIanBick #DEAAgent #Narcos #CaliCartel #TrueCrime #DrugCartel #NarcosNetflix #realstories
Thank you to BLUECHEW for sponsoring this episode:
Visit https://bluechew.com/ and use promo code LOCKEDIN at checkout to get your first month of BlueChew & pay five bucks for shipping.
Connect with Chris Feistl:
Website: www.After.Escobar.com.
After Escobar is available on Amazon (http://a.co/d/4U3kWXB), Barnes and Noble (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1146855946), www.AfterEscobar.com, and in select bookstores worldwide!
Signed copies of After Escobar available only at www.AfterEscobar.com.
Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:
https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en
https://ianbick.com/
Shop Locked In Merch:
http://www.ianbick.com/shop
Timestamps:
00:00 Becoming a DEA Agent & Taking Down Cartels
04:44 Early Life, Law Enforcement Dreams & First Arrests
13:11 From Small-Town Cop to Federal Agent
20:01 Joining the DEA: Training, Requirements & Reality
27:47 First Assignment in Miami — Cocaine Capital of the '80s
38:41 Inside the Miami Drug Wars: Chaos, Cartels & Corruption
45:42 Cartel Smuggling Tactics & DEA Challenges on the Ground
53:03 Dirty Cops, Corruption & How the DEA Adapted
01:01:12 Hunting the Cali Cartel Bosses in Colombia
01:12:40 Deep Undercover: The DEA’s Dangerous Life in Colombia
01:20:01 Surviving the Cartel Wars — Second & Third DEA Tours
01:31:00 Coming Home: DEA Retirement & Life After the Mission
01:36:02 How Netflix’s Narcos Got It Right (and Wrong)
01:40:02 Hard Lessons, Close Calls & Reflections from a DEA Agent
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Locked In with Ian Bick
Real stories from the people everyone else judges first. Hosted by Ian Bick — former federal inmate turned speaker and podcaster — this show sits down with former inmates, recovering addicts, bikers, law enforcement, investigators, and people who have lived through the darkest chapters of their lives. Each episode dives deep into crime, prison, addiction, trauma, redemption, mental health, street life, recovery, and second chances — without scripts, filters, or fake narratives. If you’re into true crime, raw prison stories, personal transformation, and real human honesty, you’ll feel at home here. This isn’t entertainment. It’s lived experience.
