O.G. Crip Gang Leader Reveals Building A Global Cocaine EMPIRE, Selling 2,000 KILOS A Month

The Connect- with Johnny Mitchell

Johnny Mitchell

True Crime

4.3 • 563 Ratings

🗓️ 17 November 2025

⏱️ 168 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this powerful, deeply personal interview, Tanc walks us through a life shaped by gang culture, prison time, cartel connections, near-death situations, and ultimately—transformation. From his early days in the California state system to navigating the dangerous world of cross-border drug trafficking, he breaks down how major operations moved product from Peru and Mexico into the U.S., what it was like coordinating “jumps” across the border, why warehouses sat full of hundreds of untouched bricks, and the razor-thin line between survival and disaster. He also opens up about fatherhood changing his mindset, the struggle to find legitimate work after prison, facing racism while trying to re-enter society, and how community college became the unlikely start of a new path. This episode dives into: -His final state bid and what made him leave gang life behind -How he became involved with high-level cartel operators -The logistics behind massive cross-border drug shipments -The paranoia, betrayals, and close calls that come with the lifestyle -The moment he knew the feds were closing in -How education and family pulled him toward a different life Go Support Tanc! Protein Ice Cream: https://www.californiaiceprotein.com/ This Episode Is #Sponsored By The Following: BetterHelp! This month, don’t wait to reach out. Whether you're checking in on a friend, or reaching out to a therapist yourself, Betterhelp makes it easier to take that first step. Our listeners get 10% off their first month at https://betterhelp.com/connect 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 Intro: Meet Tanc & Background 02:12 Growing Up in South Central LA 06:33 Early Crime, Robberies, and Bank Heists 13:35 Gang Life, Juvenile Time, and State Prison 25:29 Coming Home & Trying to Go Legit 27:15 Discovering the Hollywood Club Scene 29:59 Today's Sponsors 33:51 First Taste of Ecstasy—And Seeing $$ 36:40 Growing a Multi-Million Dollar Ecstasy Empire 45:47 Making Hollywood Connections & Living Large 53:23 Transitioning from Ecstasy to Cocaine 58:52 Meeting 'O' & Forming a Powerful Partnership 01:10:36 Into the Cartel World—International Drug Running 01:17:12 Cross-Border Operations & Stash Houses 01:31:15 Expanding to the East Coast: New York Hustle 01:41:11 Money Movement, Laundering & Risk 01:48:42 Scaling Up: Cartel-Level Distribution 02:00:06 The Fed Problem: Informants, Encounters & Risk 02:08:48 Busts, Betrayals & The Fall 02:19:12 Getting Pinched: Arrest, Indictments & Snitches 02:33:03 Concluding the Case & Lessons Learned 02:44:00 Life After Prison & Final Thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Whether you love or hate me, you're going to give me my respect.
0:02.2	I knew how to get into some real crime, right? Make some real money. They knew if I showed up, they was going to have the best time ever because they're going to have the best drugs. I would go out and make 5, 10K a night party. My guest today is known as Tank, an OG Crip from South Central who rose from the streets of Los Angeles to become one of the biggest drug kingpins of his generation.
0:20.9	In the early 2000s, Tank ran a multi-million dollar ecstasy operation in the booming nightclub
0:26.3	scene of Hollywood, California. That's how he met Owen Hansen, the USC football player
0:30.9	and fledgling Sinaloa cartel lieutenant. Together, the two built a cocaine empire that stretched
0:36.4	from the jungles of Peru all the way to New York City, where Tank personally delivered hundreds of kilos of cocaine and heroin every week to their distributors.
0:45.3	Tank reveals the inside secrets of what makes a drug operation of this size possible, from the couriers on private jets to the corrupt police officials, to the trap houses
0:54.7	storing tons of cocaine waiting to be shipped. This is a one-of-a-kind story. And for a bonus episode
1:00.2	with Tank, where he talks about his prison stretch and what he's into now, head over to patreon.com
1:05.9	slash the Connect show. His life is an odyssey. You're absolutely going to love it. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Tank right here on The Connect Show. His life is an odyssey. You're absolutely going to love it. Ladies and gentlemen,
1:11.8	I give you Tank right here on The Connect with Johnny Mitchell.
1:18.3	Well, it's pretty rare that a kid from South Central, a gangbanger, can go through the system,
1:24.5	experience all that ignorance, all of that stupid violence, and then ascend to a high, high level drug trafficker. Yeah. It doesn't happen a lot. No, no. Why do they call you tank? You know, what's funny, my grandmother used to call me tanky as a kid. And so when I got into the hood and stuff like that, I was like, man, I got to get me a better name.
1:46.7	You know what I'm saying? I can't just have that like that, you know, and it just kind of dropped the Y and kept going with it. And it just, it just always been me because I used to be a little chunky kid, you know what I'm saying? Yeah. And, yeah, so I just, I just kept it. It was just one of those things that they kind of grew with me.
2:00.7	It always comes from Grandma.
2:02.1	Yeah.
2:02.6	You know Snoop Dog got. It always comes from Grandma.
2:02.1	Yeah.
2:02.6	You know Snoop Dog got his name Snoopy from his grandma. Yeah, exactly. And then he had to drop the Y. Yeah, exactly. Same thing. Yeah, yeah, I got to make this thing right. So it's one of those things that kind of carried me through life. So you grew up in the best and the worst time in Los Angeles.
2:18.1	Yeah.
2:18.8	Yeah.
2:19.2	Yeah.
	...

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