I Made Millions Selling Drugs in the 80s — Then I Got 20 Years in Prison | Pastor James Fields

Locked In with Ian Bick

Ian Bick

Society & Culture

4.8 • 743 Ratings

🗓️ 5 April 2026

⏱️ 82 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

astor James Fields grew up in Connecticut in a good family, but after high school he made a decision that changed his life — stepping into the drug game during the height of the 1980s. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, he shares how he built a massive drug operation, at one point making over $1,000 a minute and amassing millions, all while beginning to transition into the music business as a way out. Just as he was trying to leave that life behind, the feds caught up to him, leading to a 20-year federal prison sentence. Pastor Fields breaks down how he built his empire, what the drug game was really like in the 80s, what ultimately got him arrested, and how he survived years in federal prison. He also opens up about turning his life around, finding faith, and rebuilding with purpose after prison — offering a powerful story of success, consequences, and redemption. _____________________________________________ #TrueCrime #DrugEmpire #DrugTrafficking #PrisonStory #FederalPrison #CrimeStories #ExInmate #80sCrime _____________________________________________ Connect with Pastor James Fields: http://www.kingdomlivingchurch.online _____________________________________________ 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 Street Life to Success Story 01:50 Childhood, Family & Early Struggles 03:55 Being the Black Sheep Growing Up 05:52 Lost Potential & First Turning Points 09:49 Getting Into Drug Dealing 12:21 Building a Drug Empire 16:01 Taking Over the Streets 18:28 Violence, Rivals & Street Politics 21:40 Expanding the Business & Lifestyle 25:35 Starting a Record Label 28:14 Betrayal, Downfall & Everything Falling Apart 33:36 Arrest, Charges & Legal Battles 39:07 Facing 20 Years in Prison 44:45 Entering the Prison System 48:30 Mindset Shift & Transformation in Prison 52:22 Life in Prison Camps Explained 56:55 Staying Clean & Avoiding Trouble 01:00:19 Family, Faith & Loss While Locked Up 01:06:04 Final Years & Preparing for Release 01:11:41 Life After Prison & Starting Over 01:15:00 Family, Forgiveness & Moving Forward 01:18:00 Finding Purpose After Prison 01:20:01 Lessons Learned From Prison & The Streets To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	We went from completely destroyed Dunn neighborhood to $1,000 a minute.
0:05.0	How fast does it take to grow to a legitimate operation?
0:09.0	If you have the right product, it'll be like overnight success.
0:12.0	We had to let them know, ain't nobody taking this block. This is our block.
0:15.0	We had to put our foot down.
0:16.0	I'm Pastor James Fields, man.
0:18.0	Came from the gutermost to the uttermost.
0:20.0	I went through the pit to the pulpit, and I did that for other people.
0:26.5	I did wrong.
0:27.7	I paid for my wrongdoing, but I want people to go through what I went through.
0:30.4	Pastor James Fields went from making over $1,000 a minute in the 1980s drug game to facing a 20-year federal prison sentence.
0:38.5	In this episode, he breaks down how he built a multimillion dollar empire, what led to his
0:43.6	downfall and how he survived federal prison.
0:51.2	I grew up in New Haven, Connecticut.
0:54.9	I come from the Hill section.
0:57.5	And I came from a very decent family.
1:00.4	So a lot of things that I got involved with, I really didn't have to get involved with.
1:04.7	It was just one thing led to another.
1:09.7	What did your parents do for work?
1:11.6	My parents, my mother used to work at, my mother and father used to work at Pratt and Whitney.
1:17.2	And mother retired from there.
1:19.5	My father passed away.
	...

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