Convicted Drug Smuggler On Surviving The DEADLIEST Prison In The Middle East

The Connect- with Johnny Mitchell

Johnny Mitchell

True Crime

4.3 • 563 Ratings

🗓️ 24 May 2026

⏱️ 194 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Actor and Hollywood stuntman Erik “All Day” Audé joins The Connect for one of the most intense stories ever told on the channel. In 2002, Erik was arrested in Pakistan after unknowingly being used as a drug mule and accused of attempting to smuggle narcotics through the airport. What followed was a nightmare: a death sentence, years inside one of Pakistan’s most dangerous maximum-security prisons, brutal conditions, riots, violence, corruption, and the constant fear that he would be the next prisoner executed. Erik breaks down how he was deceived, what life on death row was really like, how he survived the prison system, and how he eventually fought his way back to freedom after proving his innocence. He also talks about his career as a stuntman, the importance of safety on film sets, and the lessons he learned from surviving the unimaginable. This is a story about betrayal, survival, faith, justice, and what it takes to keep fighting when the entire system is against you. Go Support Erik! Book: https://www.amazon.com/Years-Pakistan-Erik-Aud%C3%A9-Story/dp/B0D1YFHP5X Movie: https://www.amazon.com/Years-Pakistan-Erik-Aud%C3%A9-Story/dp/B07FSRBWGL Aude’s Ice Cream Bar: https://www.instagram.com/audes_ice_cream_bar/ Tipsy Cow Bar and Grill: https://www.instagram.com/tipsycowshermanoaks/ Wine Bar: https://www.instagram.com/buvettela/ This Episode Is #Sponsored By The Following: Betterhelp! You don’t have to be on this journey alone. Find support and have someone with you in therapy. Sign up and get 10% off at https://betterhelp.com/connect Lucy! Find LUCY near you at https://lucy.co/stores or save 20% on your first online order at https://lucy.co/CONNECT with promo code CONNECT. Join The Patreon For Bonus Content! https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow 00:00 Erik Audé's Nightmare: Pakistan Death Row 01:39 Introducing Erik's Story & Book 03:11 Hollywood Stunt Work & Industry Dangers 07:53 On-Set Injuries & Stunt Safety Culture 13:32 Behind the Scenes: Drug Smuggling Logistics 16:08 Exploiting Drivers & Realities of US-Mexico Smuggling 18:29 Deception Schemes: Mules, Tragedy & Innocent Couriers 20:15 This Episode Is Sponsored By Betterhelp 21:24 How Eric Became a Dupe in the Drug Trade 29:34 Pakistan's Corrupt Justice System & Bribery in Courts 33:24 This Episode Is Sponsored By Lucy 34:56 Erik's Recruitment—A Glamorous Leather Industry Cover 46:14 Erik's First Suspicious Smuggling Trips 55:02 The Trip to Pakistan: Red Flags and Arrest 01:03:54 Jailed in Pakistan: Culture Shock and Danger 01:14:17 Abuse, Survival, and Corruption Inside Prison 01:25:27 Violence, Survival, and Learning the System 01:41:09 Erik's Survival Tactics and Prison Power Plays 01:54:28 Prison Riots, Boxing, and Navigating Pakistani Jail Hierarchy 02:15:33 Appeals, Pakistani Lawyers, and Winning Respect 02:35:07 Fighting for Freedom: Legal Maneuvering from the Inside 02:57:06 High Court, Vindication, and Leaving Pakistan 03:02:39 Return Home, Civil Suit, and Final Justice 03:11:00 Erik Today: Lessons, Life After Prison & Reflections 03:13:33 Final Thoughts & Where to Find Erik's Story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I said, I need to speak with the American embassy.
0:02.0	Embassy can't help you.
0:03.2	We're going to hang you after five o'clock prayer.
0:05.1	Then they bring me over and they hook me up and start turning up the electricity. Then they hang me up like a punching bag and go rocky on me. So I only know pain. Kassori in Pakistan is the size of a closet. The only time you see light is when they feed you one time a day. and also when it's your turn to be brought out to have the bottom of your feet beaten.
0:20.7	You have to fight the guards, otherwise you will starve to death.
0:23.8	See, the other inmates get killed, I watched people get hung, I watch people get stoned, a bunch of a guy get lit on fire. I had a hit on me one day where I had three knives sticking out of me, and I had a guy underneath me who was popping his eye out, so I snapped his neck. It haunts me every day. I went to jail for a crime and didn't commit, and I came out of murder.
0:38.3	Eric A'Day is an actor and Hollywood stuntman from Los Angeles, California.
0:43.3	In 2002, he was accused of attempting to smuggle heroin through an airport in Pakistan and sentenced to death.
0:51.3	He spent three years on death row inside of the largest maximum security
0:56.2	prison in Pakistan, where he survived insane prison riots, was forced to kill multiple inmates who
1:02.8	were trying to kill him, and witnessed one by one as his friends got executed by hanging.
1:08.7	Eric assumed he was next to be executed, but by the grace of God,
1:12.7	he was able to prove his innocence before a Pakistani judge and was given his freedom in 2005.
1:19.2	Today, Eric is still working as a busy actor and has written a best-selling book about his
1:24.6	experience called Three Years in Pakistan, the Eric A'Day story, which I highly
1:29.5	recommend you check out. A link to that will be in the description of the episode.
1:33.2	Ladies and gentlemen, this is one of the all-time great interviews on this channel.
1:37.7	It's Eric Aaday, right here on The Connect with Johnny Mitchell.
1:45.0	What's up everybody?
1:46.0	This week's episode is a certified banger.
1:49.0	So make sure you're subscribed to the channel, hit that little alert bell.
1:52.0	And if you love the interview, drop a comment and hit the like button.
	...

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