I Was a Michigan Gang Detective | Drew Snarey

Locked In with Ian Bick

Ian Bick

Society & Culture

4.8 • 743 Ratings

🗓️ 27 October 2025

⏱️ 104 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Drew Snarey has lived a career most people only see in movies — from busting gangs in Michigan to protecting high-profile federal figures. He began as a Michigan police officer before transitioning into detective work focused on gang activity and organized crime. His investigative skills led him to serve on multiple federal task forces, where he helped dismantle violent criminal networks and worked closely with top federal agencies. Eventually, Drew made the leap from state law enforcement to the federal level, joining the United States Secret Service and later working alongside other elite federal agencies. In this episode, Drew opens up about life on the streets as a young cop, taking down dangerous crews, navigating the politics of law enforcement, joining federal operations, and the reality of working inside one of America’s most elite agencies. He also reflects on the emotional toll these careers take and shares advice for anyone considering a path in law enforcement. #GangDetective #MichiganGangs #TrueCrimePodcast #FormerCop #GangLifeExposed #LawEnforcementStories #PoliceInterviews #streetcrimeuk Thank you to PRIZEPICKS for sponsoring this episode: Prizepicks: Visit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/IANBICK and use code IANBICK and get $50 in lineups when you play your first $5 lineup! Connect with Drew Snarey: Frontlineathletic.com Instagram @frontline_athletic TikTok @frontline.athletic YouTube @frontlineathletic Facebook Frontline Athletic X @frontline_ruck 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 From Local Cop to Federal Agent: Drew’s Story Begins 02:00 Law Enforcement Career Overview: Gangs, Feds & the Secret Service 06:00 Childhood, Motivation & Getting on the Force 13:00 What Working Inside a County Jail Really Teaches You 20:00 Joining the Gang Unit & Learning to Think Like a Criminal 27:00 Cracking a Major Organized Crime Case That Changed Everything 36:00 Inside the Process: How Organized Crime Investigations Are Built 47:00 Informants, Fencers & The Hidden Players Behind Gang Operations 55:00 Why So Many Youth Fall into Gangs: Poverty, Identity & Survival 01:03:00 Misconceptions About Gang Members & The Power of Second Chances 01:11:00 Gang Detective War Stories & The Personal Toll on Cops 01:19:00 Jumping to the Feds: Joining the Secret Service & What Shocked Him Most 01:33:00 How Social Media Changed Law Enforcement Perception Forever 01:41:00 Biggest Lessons from 20+ Years in Policing & Federal Work 01:43:00 Final Thoughts, Advice for Future Officers & Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	My first real organized crime case that I would consider was one of those type of queer cases that nobody thought was going to be solved. How do you know someone's going to make a good informant? I walk in the movie theater with my two nephews. I'm in flip-flops, shorts. I do have a gun on me, but I'm in no, I have no business getting involved in something in a pair of slides and shorts and a t-shirt and lo and behold,
0:21.5	who do I walk into in the bathroom is him? Did you enjoy working on task force? From raiding, gang,
0:25.5	houses in Michigan to joining federal agencies and working alongside the Secret Service, this is the
0:30.6	story of a detective who climbed the law enforcement ladder one take down at a time.
0:42.3	Drew, welcome to Lockton. Thanks so much for making the trip out here to be with me today. Hey, thanks, Ian. I'm really excited about this. Yeah, and thanks for the awesome Ruck Pack. I want you to tell the audience about your business. It's really cool. And you got me going on a hike after this, too. The first guest ever to get me to go on a hike after an interview. Well, it's great to break ground like that and be the first. But yeah,
1:00.8	so I have a outside of law enforcement, I have a functional fitness company called Frontline Athletic.
1:06.7	About three years now it's been going. but really just this year has been production.
1:11.7	The first two years were all testing and evaluation and development and stuff like that.
1:18.1	But it's outdoor functional fitness company.
1:20.6	And the business is all about getting people outside and getting them healthy and making it
1:25.8	reasonably price-wise,
1:28.2	price-effective so people can do it, right? Because some of these companies are extremely expensive.
1:34.1	And so my goal was to have a lifetime warranty, so it's a high-quality item, and make it a price
1:41.4	point that everybody can do it, that most people, more people can afford it.
1:46.3	So it's really, the mission is getting people outside and getting them healthy.
1:50.1	And the vehicle is the equipment.
1:51.6	So that's rucking backpacks that you can carry weight in.
1:56.7	You see a lot that's very popular now.
1:58.5	You'll see soccer moms walking their dog with some sort of
2:01.2	vest on all the time in neighborhoods and then work out sandbags right now is what we're focusing on
2:06.5	and we started selling in may and the interest has been amazing with no marketing budget whatsoever
2:14.6	because i'm bootstrapping this. Just social media and word of mouth
	...

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