On the Front Lines of the Drug War

DEVIANT

Cold Open Media

True Crime

4.8 • 610 Ratings

🗓️ 23 May 2025

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Brian Townsend, a retired DEA agent, shares his journey into federal law enforcement, his experiences with drug enforcement, nd his views on the ongoing battle against drug addiction in the United States. From his early days in Missouri and Kansas to his extensive work with the DEA, Townsend discusses the complexities of the drug trade, the process of joining the DEA, and the importance of empathy in addressing addiction. Tune in to hear about his career highlights, including high-stakes raids, the evolution of methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking controlled by cartels, and his current work in training, consulting, and public education on drug trends and prevention. JOIN OUR PATREON: http://www.deviantpodcast.com Visit DEVIANT's socials: http://www.instagram.com/deviant.podcast http://www.tiktok.com/@deviant.podcast Copyright 2025 Cold Open Media LLC Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:30.7	Hey, everybody.
0:31.5	Welcome back to Deviant Offscript for our Friday Conversation series.
0:36.8	I think if you listen to the show by now, you know that we
0:40.7	really like to talk to people who spend their lives on the other side of law enforcement.
0:48.1	We talk a lot on Tuesdays in our show about criminals, the things that they do, why they do
0:53.8	them, what goes on between the years.
0:57.3	And it's oftentimes really good to get some perspective on those people from people whose job is to chase them.
1:03.5	This week we're talking to a guy by the name of Brian Townsend.
1:06.4	And Brian has spent his career in the DEA, the drug enforcement agency, which is one of those agencies,
1:13.1	one of those arms of the American government and the American, the Department of Justice,
1:18.0	that you don't hear too much about unless something goes wrong, goes sideways.
1:23.5	And there's a lot of people that do the work that Brian did who have a very hard stance when it comes to fighting back against addiction, against drugs, and how that permeates into society with crime and everything.
1:36.5	I really enjoy talking to him because he had a lot of really insightful things to say about how the country is working with drug enforcement, crime,
	...

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