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Gangland Wire

A Narc's Tale: Stories From the Underbelly

Gangland Wire

Gary Jenkins

Documentary, Society & Culture, True Crime, History

4.6 • 647 Ratings

🗓️ 8 September 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode of Gangland Wire, I sit down with Keith Grounsell, a veteran law enforcement officer whose career spanned patrol, specialized units, and high-stakes undercover work with the DEA. Keith takes us inside the hidden world of narcotics investigations, sharing stories that reveal both the danger and the human toll of living a double life.
We talk about how Keith’s upbringing as the son of a Marine pushed him toward public service, and how his path eventually led him into the shadowy world of drug traffickers. He recalls the adrenaline of undercover drug deals, the razor’s-edge risks, and the constant challenge of protecting his cover while maintaining his integrity as a cop.
Keith also reflects on the strain this life put on his family and the psychological pressure of staying in character for months at a time. His advice to new officers is candid and practical, emphasizing the need for physical fitness, strong community ties, and good mental health to survive the job's demands.
Our conversation widens to the broader impact of drug trafficking on crime and communities, and the need for law enforcement to adapt to ever-changing threats. Keith also shares his writing journey, a four-book series titled Narc’s Tale, which chronicles his undercover assignments and the lessons he carried forward.
This episode offers both gripping stories from the field and a rare inside look at the toll—and the nobility—of narcotics enforcement.



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Transcript

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0:00.0

Well, hey, all you wiretappers, good to be back here in studio, Gangland Wire. This is Gary Jenkins. I am a retired Kansas Police Intelligence Detective, as most of you know, because I've got a lot of regular listeners and those that don't know, that that's who I am. And I have another copper here with me today. I got Keith Grounsel. Keith, welcome. Hey, Gary, thanks for having me on the show.

0:22.3

I'll tell you what, Keith.

0:23.1

I love talking to and interviewing, but then our conversations before and after talking to these other conferences that have worked around the country.

0:31.6

It's always fun.

0:32.5

We talk the same language, I've noticed.

0:35.6

And that's around the world, too.

0:37.7

I haven't worked internationally.

0:39.5

We're a universal group of people that always collaborate together and get along in

0:44.4

different environments.

0:46.0

Yeah.

0:46.3

And then we start telling stories and it really gets good.

0:49.9

That's right.

0:51.0

But we can't record all those stories.

0:53.5

So we don't want to record. So we don't want to record.

0:57.4

Some we don't want to record.

1:00.0

All right, Keith, now you became a cop, you know.

1:03.5

Where were you from originally?

1:04.8

And then what made you think that you wanted to be a police officer?

1:08.2

Me, I wanted to be a cowboy.

1:10.4

And so that was the closing club to be a cowboy. And so that was

1:11.0

a close to being a cowboy. So how about you? That's kind of funny. My dad was a United States

1:17.2

Marine, 22 years. So I was raised by a career Marine. I was actually born in Buford, South

...

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