A Mexican Undercover Cop Reveals The HORRORS Of Cartel Violence, Surviving The War In Tijuana

Ed Calderon grew up in Tijuana, Mexico. At a young age he was a rebel committing petty crimes until one day he found himself as part of an elite squad of Mexican law enforcement, tasked with taking down the cartel. He came on the show to talk about being front line in one of the most notorious cartel wars in Mexican history, the current and future state of Tijuana, and the existential crisis that both Mexico and the U.S. are facing together.

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0:00 - Intro
1:30 - From Childhood to Law Enforcement in Tijuana
7:16 - TOUR DATES!
7:47 - Joining the Experimental State Police
11:57 - The Beginning of Violence
18:09 - Background Checks and Certification
23:51 - The Physical Demands of Training
26:29 - This Episode Is Sponsored By PRIZEPICKS
28:14 - Training and Brutality in Mexico
35:37 - The Horrors of Tijuana
41:36 - The Chaos in Tijuana
47:33 - Mexican Cartels and Government Corruption
54:03 - High-Level Arrests and the Mexican Army's Power
57:52 - This Episode Is Sponsored By MAGIC MIND
59:27 - Armory in a Bizarre Space
1:05:49 - Violence in the City of Tijuana
1:12:04 - Trained Zetas and the Influence of the US
1:17:42 - The Arrival of Fast and Furious Guns
1:23:52 - Violence in Mexico with guns as currency
1:29:36 - Responding to a Kidnapping in Tijuana
1:35:37 - The New Director of the Institution
1:41:36 - The Disarming of the Municipal Police
1:47:47 - The Consequences of Choosing Sides in Mexico
1:53:41 - The Treatment of Mexican Police Officers
1:59:33 - The Reality of the Drug War in Mexico
2:05:29 - The Potential for Violence in Mexico
2:11:41 - Dealing with Corruption in Mexico
2:17:41 - Changes in Mexico's Legal System
2:23:58 - The Rise of Fentanyl and Cartel Control of the Border
2:29:58 - Cartel Control and Violence at the Border
2:35:54 - Living in Mexico: Tales of Violence and Survival
2:41:50 - Security Concerns and Political Turbulence in Tijuana
2:47:48 - The Future of Populism in Mexico and Argentina
2:54:01 - The Cartels and Drug Addiction Crisis
2:59:57 - Wrapping Up

[theconnectpod]

Had the great pleasure of sitting down with the fascinating Ed Calderon. Please hit that like button and leave us a comment!!
Promo Code: CONNECT

[rop]

Each time he tells his stories he relives his trauma. It's takes alot of courage to do this. Thanks for sharing!

[Richiemartin]

Its amazing to me that we worry about conflicts across seas, instead of the major conflict happening with our neighbors/ally. Thank you for shining light on this Johnny

[adubs]

Born and Raised in San Diego. Have Family, Friends, and Coworkers who live in Tijuana, plus I visit TJ often (I have Sentri). He knows exactly what he's talking about, no bs..this is one of the best interviews I've seen on Cartels and Mexico and Tijuana in particular. Amazing stuff.

[robertcowie]

Cartels should be labeled as terrorist organizations

[MikeG.]

Ed NEEDS to write a book. A screen play. His story is a movie in the making. I would like to see a Netflix series based on his life.

[Scientist_Salarian]

I’m a big fan of Mr. Calderon. I’ve heard every podcast conversation he’s done, from Carolla to Rogan. THIS is his best one, hands down! Well done, Johnny and Ed.

[ianwatson]

Ed is so fascinating, and his ability to go through what he did while on the job in Mexico, become an alcoholic and beat that too, just shows how strong the guy is. True role model for men, real men

[DLux]

This man is a well of information, his ability to remember things in detail is amazing. Great interview.

[DesertRat.]

If people actually pay attention to Ed, he's been telling you, your country is on fire. The USA is in serious trouble.

[eazyeighty]

wow these 3 hours flew by there definitely needs to be a part 2 I could listen to Ed’s stories all day

[thomasclinton]

Ive lived throughout Baja for decades... im intimately familiar with Eds stories, and he speaks legitly. Bravo, Ed, always a great interview

[tb]

Thank you for a great interview Mr Calderon. Sad to watch how the US is going down hill. I’ve never been to Mexico, but I appreciate what you’ve done for the country and being one of the good guys. Don’t listen to the people giving you sh*t. They weren’t there and probably don’t even know any facts about anything involving you. Hope you’ve found some help for PTSD. I was in the Army and you’ve seen way more than I have. Take care of yourself

[Martinez-]

So interesting to see how intrigued and excited the interviewer is, and how serious Ed takes the context of his history. It’s not so exciting and fun when you’ve lived through it and miraculously came out the other side vs being a third party observer.

[leemackay]

When I was 15 my older brother was killed, he was 24... it almost destroyed my parents and they almost divorced, it was a heavy thing, I almost started crying when Ed shared, loss and mourning are part of life, but I wish it wasn't .

[G-P]

Love the amount of detail he gets into, almost reliving it.

[hermanmoreno]

Mitchell your experiences, questions and intelligence made this interview extraordinary! Great job Sir.

[DeanHarringtonimages]

One of the better reports on Mexico and the crime aspects in the US and Mexico!

[jddecker]

Johnny! Thank you for letting him talk, not being rude and constantly cutting him off! This was a great interview bro 👍🏻👍🏻💯

[evafrankel]

My late father who was a naturalized citizen from Mexico predicted in the early 80’s that there would be a lot of unrest and turmoil in Mexico because of the corrupt government in Mexico, bought off law enforcement and drug trade.