Confessions Of A Cali Cartel Hitman: Colombian Sicario Reveals A Liftetime Killing For The Cartel

The Connect- with Johnny Mitchell

Johnny Mitchell

True Crime

4.3 • 563 Ratings

🗓️ 14 September 2025

⏱️ 132 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this explosive episode, we sit down with Alex Vargas, a former gang member and cartel sicario who lived through one of the most dangerous eras of crime. Born in Cali, Colombia but raised in Florida, he grew up in gangs, survived violent wars with rivals, and even faced a 65-year sentence in the U.S. before being repatriated back to Colombia. He opens up about: -His violent childhood and early murders committed “for fun” in Colombia -Joining street gangs in Florida and waging wars against Jamaicans, Cubans, and Latin Kings -Attempted murder of a cop and a life sentence that should have ended his story -The shocking way he was freed through Colombia’s repatriation system in the 1990s -Working with hitmen and experiencing the dark side of the Cali Cartel era -How his life spiraled through crack, basuco, and violence before eventually transforming This is one of the rawest, most unfiltered looks into the world of gangs, drugs, and the cartels — told by someone who lived it on both sides of the border. Go Support Alex! For English Lessons Anywhere In The World Contact Alex On WhatsApp: +57 317 553 2811 This Episode Is #Sponsored By The Following: True Classic! Upgrade your wardrobe and save on @trueclassic at https://trueclassic.com/CONNECT! #trueclassicpod Mando! Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @shop.mando and get 20% off + free shipping with promo code MITCHELL at https://shopmando.com! #mandopod Mood! Head to https://mood.com to find the functional gummy that matches exactly what you're looking for, and let Mood help you discover YOUR perfect mood. And don't forget to use promo code CONNECT when you check out to save 20% on your first order. Join The Patreon For Bonus Content! https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow 00:00 Meet Alex Vargas: From Killer to English Teacher 01:36 Violent Roots: Family History in Colombia 05:05 Gang Life in Florida: Brothers in Crime 09:30 Escalating Violence and Early Addictions 13:10 Florida Gangs, Drive-Bys, and Crime Culture 15:12 This Episode Is Sponsored By True Classic! 16:55 Deportation and Sentencing: Repatriation Loophole 24:35 Florida Prison: Proving Yourself Amidst Killers 33:04 Return to Colombia: New Life, Old Enemies 37:00 Cartel Connections: Family Betrayal and Violence 40:11 This Episode Is Sponsored By Mando And Mood! 44:17 Back and Forth: US, Colombia, and Rising Up the Cartel 54:34 Becoming a Hitman for the Cali Cartel 01:00:00 Ecuadorian Prison: Survival, Addiction, and Brutality 01:13:07 Prison Riots, Forced Violence, and Hitting Bottom 01:20:10 Out of Prison: Drug Wars, Family, and New Cartels 01:24:00 Life as a Cartel Operative: Robbery, Violence, and Loyalty 01:32:00 Work for a Narco Boss: Trust, Drugs, and Betrayals 01:41:29 International Expansion: Honduras and the Maras 01:48:47 Cartel Wars: Guarantee Man in Honduras 01:57:00 Return to Colombia: Final Escape and Confrontations 02:01:00 Rock Bottom: Addiction, Homelessness and Recovery 02:08:09 Getting Sober, Redemption, and Teaching English 02:15:00 Reflections, Consequences, and Redemption Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	I had already shot people.
0:01.6	I had already killed like two or three.
0:03.3	This was not for money. This was for fun. Here in Columbia, I could kill anybody. Nobody talks. It was the law of silence. So when you're a killer and you see some other guy that he's got cold blood, you know, you can feel it. Somebody can say, hey, that guy killed my dad. And they'll come and shoot me in my head. And there's nothing I can do about it. Alex Vargas is a former Colombian hitman with one of the craziest life stories I've ever heard. He was born in Collie Columbia but raised in the slums of Fort Lauderdale, Florida in the 1980s, where he was a gangbanger and a delinquent pretty much from the beginning. After serving time for shooting a cop while he was still a teenager,
0:37.8	Alex got deported back to Columbia, where he worked in cocaine laboratories as a heroin mule,
0:43.5	and then as a cicario, a hitman, for one of the most powerful drug bosses of the Kali cartel,
0:49.4	the largest cocaine cartel in the history of the world. He went in and out of drug addiction,
0:53.9	and at one point was sleeping on the streets of Kali.
0:56.5	He also served time in a bloody maximum security prison in Ecuador, which was one of the most violent in South America.
1:03.0	Today, he's clean and sober, has his family back, and works as an English instructor at an elite English school here in Kali, Colombia.
1:10.1	If you know anyone who needs English lessons, not just in Colombia, but anywhere in the world,
1:14.5	we're going to put the link to Alex's information in the description of this episode.
1:18.0	And for more, behind the scenes footage of our time here in Columbia, make sure to check out that Patreon.
1:23.9	Patreon.com slash The Connect Show.
1:26.9	All right, guys, this is one for the history books.
1:29.4	Alex Vargas, right here on The Connect with Johnny Mitchell.
1:35.7	How ironic is that your mother to keep you safe from gangs and trouble in the 1980s
1:41.9	sent you to Columbia for the summers?
1:43.9	Exactly, because she thought that I would be better off here with my dad.
1:47.4	But, you know, my dad, he's got his own personal story.
1:49.9	As a matter of fact, people have told me that my dad used to be in the gorilla when he was
1:56.3	younger in those days.
1:58.3	As a matter of fact, a long time ago, I remember we were in the house and we were kids, and I remember cops barged in, and that time it was called EF2. EF2 is like, have you heard of the Das? Yeah. Efeos is like before the Das, and they were some bad motherfuckers, and they would just come looking for you and they would kill you. The cops.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Johnny Mitchell, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Johnny Mitchell and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.