Locked In with Ian Bick - Pot Smuggler Reveals How He Navigated Federal Prison Politics, Survived Fights & Confronted Chomos | Travis Cullen

Episode Date: July 30, 2024

A former pot hauler recounts his gripping experiences navigating the complex and often dangerous world of federal prison. Discover how he managed prison politics, survived brutal fights, and took a stand against chomos. This raw and unfiltered account provides a rare glimpse into the harsh realities of prison life, offering insights into the challenges and survival tactics of inmates. Get ready for a compelling and eye-opening journey into the world behind bars. Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ Connect with Travis Cullen: https://laughingwatersmn.com/ https://www.instagram.com/traviscullentc/?locale=bz-hans&hl=am-et Presented by Tyson 2.0 & Wooooo Energy: https://tyson20.com/ https://woooooenergy.com/ Powered by: Just Media House : https://www.justmediahouse.com/ Creative direction, design, assets, support by FWRD: https://www.fwrd.co Buy Merch: https://lockedinbrand.com Use code lockedin at checkout to get 20% off your order Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Driving and Unexpected Encounter 00:04:26 - Fighting for Clemency and Legalization 00:08:46 - The Problem with the Black Market 00:12:48 - Crime and Punishment 00:16:57 - Smuggling Marijuana from Canada 00:21:14 - Arrest and Incarceration since 1998 00:25:49 - Personal Story and the Need for Change 00:30:31 - The Injustice of Cannabis Incarceration 00:34:53 - The Disgusting Tactics of the Prosecution 00:39:01 - Concerns About Prosecution and Sentencing Processes 00:43:00 - Fighting and Surviving in Prison 00:46:56 - Navigating prison hierarchy 00:51:03 - Issues with the Justice System 00:55:22 - Fort Dicks: The Largest Prison in America 00:59:19 - Life in Prison and Reintegration 01:03:13 - Reflections on Prison Experience 01:07:19 - Staying in touch and supporting each other Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ryan Reynolds here for MintMobil. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same premium wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities. So do like I did and have one of your assistants assistants to switch you to MintMobile today. I'm told it's super easy to do at mintmobile.com slash switch. Up front payment of $45 for three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available.

Taxes and fees extra. See full terms at MintMobile.com. When it's time for a move, do it right. With United Van Lines, America's number one mover, a full-service move means everything is handled for you. Professional packing and unpacking, custom crating, furniture assembly, even storage if you need it. No surprises. Precision, care, and clear communication before, during, and after your move. United Van Lines delivers coast-to-coast strength with worldwide capability.

Make your move with United, America's number one mover. Get a quote at United VanLines.com. It's a bunch of buildings all over the place, like 12 buildings on each side, fenced in, like dormitories like college, right? So I'm coming back from 5802. I'm going up to 5812. They had the track that you walk in between.

So I just spit on a pile on my way home for like, I'm like, yeah, whatever, no big deal. Like, yeah, you should be used to that by now. He was an older pika, two. He was seven years old, too. I ain't a lie, but he like some baby or something weird. So I spit on him. No big deal. I'm just chilling. I jump, having fun, laughing. But then I look out the corner of my of the

I come running up all mad. I think he had like something in his hand. So I jump up, go to handle it. And he's like, yeah, what did you do? And I was going, boom, gave him the cleanest right in my life. Seven-year-old man, knocked him clean out. But he was a, you know, you can deal with it. Anytime you can beat up a defender and get away with it, it's a good day. Travis, welcome to Lockton, man. You drove all the way from Minnesota to come on the show. That's got to be the longest drive anyone's made to come. I'm on the show so far. I love driving.

I roll Dolo from state to state all the time. I love your energy, man. You came here all hyped up, ready to rock and roll. You're like, oh, we might be getting a phone call during the podcast from some people that are currently incarcerated that you support and deal with. And you have a company. I want you to plug in the beginning because I really think that the audience will like it and make good use of it because we're big advocates on the show for that type of product.

So if you want to just give us a couple lines of what it is and why the people listening should support your brand and what exactly it is you do now before we dive into the episode. So I'm a big cannabis advocate for the people inside federal prison and state prison because of when I was 21, I got caught traffic in 700 pounds from California to Minnesota and I did eight years in federal prison. So I got home in 2013 and through I just started work. I fell in love, you know, went through the process of just being 30, spending 21 to 30. I feel like I just went through all the stages, fell in love, she left, we broke up or whatever. I was working construction. And then about 18 months ago, the state of Minnesota legalized cannabis and low-dose edibles. And then we had the farm bill pass also.

And that was where the hemp got to like kind of turn CBD into THC, so it gets you high. So basically, I have a company, free THC.com. is the website that has my brand Freedom Soda and Freedom Gummies on it. And we give the majority of the profits to inmates inside, incarcerated currently, like Edward Rubis. He's been inside since 1997 for cannabis. He still has eight years left. So we help him.

We help Parker Coleman, but it's all about raising awareness and putting money on their commissary books and doing the right thing is I have a tobacco store in Minnesota, and we sell low-dose edibles in it as well. So that's cannabis to me. So with cannabis being legal in front of me, I just have an incredible amount of guilt in responsibility to the ones incarcerated still with de facto life sentences for cannabis

because as you know as well, my brother that's been to the federal system, they hand out numbers like crazy if they have the right evidence on you and cannabis has been federally illegal for a long time. So we have a lot of people, brothers and sisters of all races, white, black, Latino, Asian, everybody incarcerated for cannabis, and I support them.

And I'm going to Washington, D.C. Actually, after this episode, I have a van wrapped with the inmates' faces, and I'll be posting all that on the social media, and then I have some representatives there, federally elected that are helping me push the issue with other great organizations like Freedom Grow, Last Prisoner Project, 40 tons, students for sensible drug policy is amazing, supernova woman.

There's just, like, amazing groups. And I went out there actually for 420, not to talk to Europe this, but this is what it's all about for me. Like, I want to help these people. I went out there. They did a last prisoner project orchestrated like all the nonprofits together for 420 National Day of Unity. And like, so I'm kind of just like you in this point. I've been working construction. I haven't been dealing with no cannabis.

And then I got into the cannabis industry and I'm like, well, this is great. It's going to be legal. And then right away, like, I didn't even think about it right away because like I'm just, Travis, you know, I'm just thinking. But then right away, I was like, we got to help the people. So anyways, my activism building, building, building. Then I went to the day of unity 420, April 20th in Washington, D.C. Ilhan Omar, my representative, came out, was really supportive of clemency and doing everything. So I'm just highly encouraged by going out there then.

And I've been saving my money. I wrap my van. And I'm like, man, it's just time to fight this fight legally, protest in Washington, D.C., get as many meetings with the representatives if I can. and try to get them to push Biden so we can actually get these people home inside prison for cannabis federally. We'll get them out this year as a goal. Now, these are all individuals that are nonviolent offenders sentenced for marijuana. Yes.

Because, you know, you always have the critics that say, oh, they must have done something violent to get that many years. But you and I both know because I was in the feds. And I remember when I was there when Obama was doing all of his pardons and commutations the last week in office in 2016. And a lot of those guys were nonviolent. for drugs. Yeah, it's the federal system with the guidelines and everything, you get up to 20, 30 years right away. Like, take my case, for instance.

I got caught with 700 pounds, first time felon, 21 years old. No chance to get in trouble yet. I was 21. I was fresh out of high school or whatever, but yeah, they gave me 135 months. And it was like either tell on all your friends, and I wasn't about none of that. So it's like, do that.

But if you tell on your friends, you're okay person. You can come home to society. Like, I never understood that. I see the rats is coming home and causing mayhem because they didn't learn their lesson. I validly learned my lesson. Does it feel weird to be able to sell weed legally? Yes. After going to prison for so many years for selling it?

Well, it just feels weird for the people inside. I love it because I had never felt a tinge of guilt about going to prison for selling cannabis. I knew I was bringing medicine and I knew people needed it. So I was all good with it. You know, it's not like these guys selling fentanyl now. They're selling fentanyl and they'll be liable before a couple deaths, you know. Yeah. what it is. It's a terrible drug. And that's part of the reason how we got cannabis legal,

because the cops are like, oh, fuck, we have a real problem now with drugs, and we got to deal with that. So, yeah, it's incredibly weird that we have, like, Frank Rogers, 18 years for prison for cannabis. We got Edward Rubis, 40 years for cannabis. Parker Coleman, 60 years for cannabis. Michael Woods, life sentence. He was smuggling weed out here from Canada. A big conspiracy. And they gave him a life sentence, Michael Mickey Woods, from Canada. And those are all the guys that are on the van. Their pictures are on the van. And there's many, many more.

Ismail, he has a life sentence, too. That's the disturbing part, the same plant that is being sold legally as medicine, and people are profiting. And you want to hear the other crazy thing about the illegality now with the people profiting? Guess who's going to try to keep it illegal? Or the government? No, the people profiting. Yeah, but because, well,

It's all about taxes, though, too. Yeah, the government is seeing the revenue, but you have lobbyists, you know, in the future I don't see them big companies, MSOs like jumping up. They help a little bit on a small level, but if I was a huge company knowing what I know about the federal system, there would be nothing stopping me from spending money or lobbyists to get it legal and save these humans' lives because they're serving de facto life sentences for cannabis. But do you think that the illegal sellers will ever go away?

because Connecticut's a legal state, you still have, you could still hit up your local dealer to sell you some marijuana because you're saving on the taxes. You go into a dispensary, you're paying, what, 20% or 30% more in taxes? Yeah, high taxation is a problem, and that drives the black market. But general, in general, when I went to prison, a pound of hydro, and this is 2004, I went to prison, a pound of, like, good cannabis, hydro, indoor, no seeds, like vacuum sack,

was going for $4,000. bucks. It's $800 now. So legalization is driving away the majority of the black market dealers. And you know, it's good that we have some black market dealers and as many as want to do it because it's just the way it is. It's good for small business. It's really just like a small business, a black market dealer. But the problem, and it's not a problem. I encourage black market dealers. That's where I come from. I don't encourage it for myself because I don't want to go back to prison. But like, let's just be clear about that. But when they're doing the deals, if someone gets shot and killed for robbery, You know what I mean?

You don't have that much of that in the dispensary. And it's just like for people like me, I'm 42 now to pull out of the black market is good. My first experience in cannabis, I was 14 years old. My friend Heinz-Morman was murdered over a half pound of cannabis robbery gone wrong when he was 18 years old. So it's just like you have these things happen. And it's just like that it was the problem with black market to me. Yeah. I mean, black market now is more like a slap on the wrist.

If you're in New York City, they'll just close your shop down. a fine and and well that's huge if you like yeah if you lose your license a bit they just started cracking down in new york it was like you could buy weed anywhere but now they're going to crack down and to me i see that is a part of uh like prohibition i don't like it like i would rather see person this is just my personal views like i just think it should be growing in our garden and sold yeah you know what i mean because it's done so much destructive things but with business in someone that I love society at this point in my life. I've been in prison.

I've been in bad prisons where bad people are in charge and they make not the greatest decisions, you know? And it's like to make society better, if we can use the plant and help, you know, like with social equity programs, we can help people. That would be great, you know? Yeah, like having like a farmer stand.

Yeah, yeah. And that analogy you gave of the money value. I never thought of it that way. And I think that's probably a big problem with like the young generation because they don't understand how cheap or how expensive weed used to be. Yeah. So in our eyes, you're right.

If you go in and you're paying the taxes, it's way cheaper than it ever was. So those taxes are still make it cheaper than what it was years ago. But the new generation of kids who's going in, they look at it and they're like, wow, these prices are insane. Yeah. But when you compare it like you just did, it's like, wow, it's still cheaper to go in than it was paying all that money years ago. Yeah, yeah. It's changed a lot. It's actually really insane, and it's sad because, like, our parents' generation, they missed out on legalization, and now the youth, they're getting the full benefit.

They're spoiled with everything. They're getting, like, when I was a kid, I don't know how old you are, but I'm 42. When I was a kid, we were buying weed with bricks and bricks, and it had seeds, and you'd hit the shoebox, and the seeds would roll the bottom, you know? Yeah, I remember guys would get, like, saran-wrap pounds, and they were paying thousands for that. I was, like, the last guy to get caught with brickweed, I swear to God. So I'm curious, what's your opinion on Ross, Albrecht, you know who I'm talking about? He's the one of the Silk Road. He got life in prison.

Nobody should get life. Nobody should get life in prison. After 10 years, I've figured this out. I thought a lot about it. I stick to cannabis because it's a great talking point right now. My case is pure cannabis. I didn't have anything. But I feel for him, after 10 years in prison, even if you're selling fentanyl, you're a changed man.

You need to be let free. And they need to institute in parole. for guys like him. Like, yeah, no, I do not think that's okay that he got a life sentence. I think it's all politics. I've learned that. So now I'm up on, I'm dealing with politicians.

You know, I got a store, things are going well. And I just see how much politics play in our, a role in our life for good or bad. This is America. I love America, best country on the earth, if you ask me, but politics play a huge role. And then you have all sorts of things come into with politics. And he probably was a hot subject at that time, you know?

So do you think that the 10-year rule applies to any type of charge or just nonviolent. Any type of drug. And so not, if someone's murder someone, do you think that's not my talk? They're on their own with that. You know, I stick to drug, nonviolent. Like the Albright, I'd be willing to say, yes, he should be let out. Yes, yes, you should, but the violence, you know, then you have,

it's complicated with violence is no good. You have victims, you know, they're going to be like, hey, I feel this way, and I don't even want to get into that, you know. Like, I feel, I just feel that, like, you know, some things happen for reasons sometimes. Even with violence, they never talk about it. about why the guy got killed, you know, but like, that's not my business. I don't want to get into that way.

Well, that's something I found, like, on the show, like, some of these guys that get out and they're in prison for murder or whatnot that come on and talk about it. A lot of the times those murder victims have to do with the crime itself. Like, they were a co-conspirator. Yeah, and then it's like... It's not an innocent bystander, so to say. 100%. 100%.

And then that comes in... Yeah, and then if they're involved in the life, like, and they get wrapped up, and that's, like, with my opinion on rats. It's like if you're involved in the light, bro, and you get caught with the bag, that's on you. That's why I took my time. And when I got home, I knew not to get back involved in any sort of like high-tech illegal stuff because I didn't want to go back to prison because I knew I wouldn't cooperate. So it's just like, yeah, they don't talk about that.

Like crime and punishment really comes down to what the evidence they have on you and how they feel about the case. So the murder murders, you're not going to get a bunch of time unless they got you cold. and then you might have a good reason in your head to do it, but somebody else might not have thought it was a good reason. So did you grow up in Minnesota? Yeah, Minnesota, born and raised. 041, that's our prison number. 11557, 041.

I'm 014. 014. Yeah, it's Connecticut. So big family, mom, dad, siblings? Yep, mom, dad, brother. Really close with my mother. What do they do for work? I think my brother operates a crane.

He lives out of state. I haven't talked to him a little bit. But my mom, she's retired. in between Arizona in here. She comes up to Minnesota for this, not here this Connecticut, but she comes in Minnesota for the summer. And we spend a lot of time.

You know, I was gone for eight years. And then coming home, working construction so hard is almost like now that I'm in the advocacy and the website, I'm able to spend more time with my mother and kind of make up for those years I was gone. Do you were your parents together growing up or they got divorced?

They got, they split up right out. after I got incarcerated. Okay. Do you think that had an effect on it? Maybe. It ravaged my family. Like, the closeness is gone. You know, I was gone from 21 to 30.

I came home and I'm like, hey. And then I think everything's supposed to be the same when I get out, you know? But it was 2004 and now it was 2013 and things are a lot different. I remember they brought me to the, I took a plane home from the Philadelphia airport and I was looking at all the cell phones. And I was like, holy crap, you guys have some. really high-tech foes now after eight years. And I was like, can I see that?

They're like, because I'm a talkative guy. I'm outgoing. I feel like life's great. I want to communicate with people. And they're like, what is wrong with you? I was like, yeah, I haven't seen one. That, you know, we did see a little bit, you know, inside a little bit. Wow, that's so interested.

You said Philly because we both were on the same path, just reversed. So I went from your area to Philly to here. You went from Fort Dix to Philly to home where I started at Fort Dix. but I ended in Wisconsin, which was out your way. And it was just reverse. So we literally traveled down the same path, 10 years apart in reverse. Yeah, I remember I got indicted when I was 21.

I was first time felon to let me out on house arrest. I ended up violent that. But I remember going in my lawyer's office. Never went in the government office, no of that shit except to get sentenced. But I went in my lawyer's office and he gave me my indictment. And Joe Freedberg, he was like, man, you're in a lot of trouble.

I was like, what? It's just, I thought it wasn't that bad. It was just weed. He said, no, they went after you. They indict you hard, so they hit me hard. Yeah, and I ended up copping out and doing, I caught 11 years, and I did eight. So let's talk about how you got to that point. Did you go to a normal high school, public school or private?

St. Louis Park High School. And then actually my senior year, I had got caught selling a quarter pound of weed, like, sophomore year. And then my senior year, I went to the county homeschool with, like, probation violation. So I did my senior year in J. I got released when I was 18, and then I just kind of hit the ground running. The price on weed was really high. Hydro was just coming out. The market was prime.

So that's what's killing the black market. It's like there's no money in it. There was just tons of money in marijuana reselling that time in Minneapolis, and we were bringing it. My friends were bringing it down from Canada. They were sneaking it over on snowmobiles and boats and all that, and it was hit in Minnesota, and then we could sell the pounds for $4,000 a pound back then.

And we would make $400 a pound. And it was on and cracking. So how much were you... Give us the breakdown. How much are you buying? All right, class, settle down. Today's lesson is on the Arco Rewards app. Try to stay with me.

The fundamentals are simple. Earn at least five cents a gallon in rewards. Then redeem them later for up to a dollar off every gallon. Now here's where it gets complicated. Oh, wait. It doesn't. It's as simple as downloading the Arco Rewards app to get started. Class dismissed.

Savings of up to $1 per gallon were being able with $20 rewards dollars in your loyalty account at participating locations. Terms and conditions apply. A pound for and then... It was fronting back then. They would front you 200 pounds of Canadians and we'd make $400 off each pound. It's the best thing I've ever done in my life financially. I'd make $80,000 and we'd front it out to everybody they'd pay. So it was kind of like a little organization.

So I do understand why I went to prison, but it's just always about the sentence are too excessive, you know? So they're bringing it over. How do they bring 200 pounds to you? In boats and these rubber bags. They'd bring them over. They'd give the GPS coordinations. We would go pick it up and then get it down to the cities. And yeah, it was great.

And when it would hit, when we'd be in the cities, yeah, I remember these rubber bags and you would undo them. And then the hockey bags were big too. Anybody from Canada? Yeah, Canada was the plug back in the day, man. They were doing it up big. Who were the sellers in Canada? Are these mob guys?

Are these farmers, individuals? I know I'm sure it was the organizations. You know, if you Google the organizations, I don't want to be the guy of the podcast, say the organization. But I'm sure it was kind of like lightweight organized crime, whoever those groups are. But yeah, they were getting it in. Now, 200 pounds, does that smell at all? Well, they vacuum seal it, but it will fill up a whole truck, like pickup truck and Topper. So you'd see the truck coming in

They'd be popping The bags would be popping up on the side windows But they'd be sealed How often are these things getting busted Or are you guys never getting busted? It was great back then The border up on Canada was wide open You know back in the

Like I feel like after I went They were still making money on the border It's completely dead now I feel the border Smuggling in Canada That shit's over with domestic Like natural business kills

With cannabis kills the black market But yeah the border was really relevant in the marijuana trade, the Canadian border, I would say, in my experience from like 1998, and then I went away and so like it heated up 2000, I swear right when I got out of jail, it was like, you get to Canada

and you get the weed up there for $1,500 Canadian too, and our exchange rate was higher. So you would get up to Canada. 1,500 would be like, 1,500 American would be like 2,000 Canadian, and then you'd get pounds for like 12,500 bucks back then you could sell them here. It was a big, big clip. I wasn't really doing all that.

I was more the end guy, just kind of seeing what they were doing. And then right when I got arrested, I was getting into going to British Columbia myself and getting them for the good price. But, yeah. So 200 pounds you're making, what did you say? 400 bucks when I was the end, yeah. And $80,000? Yeah.

What do you do with that money once you get the $80,000? Spending on stupid shit like a kid out a $20,000 T. We'd throw clubs. I had a, when I got arrested, I had a restaurant, Mikey's Grill. I had a cabin up north. I had a business partner too. You know, yeah, that's what I learned about, yeah, I'm never going to be a big proponent, like get in the business because it's not it.

The fed's got that shit locked, especially with phones. But even my business partner, my best friend, Ben, he was spending money, had houses too. But I woke him up the morning, the 700-pound load because it was kind of like my thing, you know. I had the guy, I had the guy going to Cali to get it. I kind of just did it all over the phone. And the guy from the driver that snitched on me. got pulled over in South Dakota and called me with the DE agent

like within 10 minutes. I was like, hey, I'm almost there with the load. I was like, oh, good shit. You know, I'm a young kid. I'm like, yeah. So, but long story short, Ben ended up getting 78 months just for going to meet the guy because I was busy working at the restaurant running my restaurant. So you got a call,

you're expecting 700 pounds. Yeah. And this guy calls you and says he's got the load. He's almost there. I remember, I've been riding all night, dog. I'm almost there. I was like, hell yeah, bro. Never do that shit again. And who is this guy? He's a rat. No, but he's your employee.

Yeah, he's just some rat kid I knew. You know, I ain't going to say his name because I don't want in trouble. Yeah, so you sent him to go pick it up. Yep. He gets, did you ever find out how he gets? I sent him and then I have my guys load him up in Cali, like the connection. Everybody's working together. We're all making money.

It wasn't the first load. And that was the problem because they tell him about the previous loads when he got busted. He was like, hey, I've been doing this forever. Then they add the weight up. And that's how I got all that time. So they, how did they pull him over? How did he get caught? He said it was a bad taillight, I guess.

I don't know. You think he was working with them earlier? No. I think it all. It just all happened in one day. My whole life got rearranged. So when he gets pulled over, they automatically call the DEA in? Yeah, they got a process.

Just right away? The kids need to know. Yeah, they got a process. Right when they pulled the guys over with the load, okay, tell us where you're going, boom, boom. And they try to get you to do that. And if you do that, you're a rat. And then he did it and he set me up. So your partner shows up to meet him.

Your partner gets busted. jump out on him, boom, boom, get out the car, he's like, what the fuck? And then I'm at my restaurant, just minding my business, this big, heavier set cop-looking guy comes in, he goes, hey, and then, yeah, I go to leave, and the Cadillacs, I go to leave on a delivery, but the heavy set, big cop comes in my restaurant, say, hey, can I buy a soda? I said, yeah, it's a dollar. I was like, I was like, $1.9, I'll never forget this, $1,000, sir. He gave me a dollar, I go, yeah, don't worry about that, and he just looked at me, like,

okay and then I go for delivery Cadillacs run up on me SUVs don't grab me I'm like it's all plain clothes I'm like and I know it's cops I'm like what's going on they're like yeah your life does change we got you Travis I was like what are you talking about you know what I and they're like you'll see

and I was like man I got stuff to do I could have my lawyer call you and they're like nah you're coming with us right now they brought me downtown Minneapolis a nondescriep little business building and yeah I see my buddy in there and then I knew the fucking deal was over. When I see my best friend Ben in there, he just looked at me. Oh, man, he didn't talk.

He didn't say nothing. If he would have talked, they would have really jammed me up. They would have gave me like 20, 30 years. So he didn't talk at all? No. Okay. No. Here's an inmate right here.

Let's get him on the phone. Let's get them. You haven't heard that for a long. Yeah, holy cow. Yeah, just hold it right up to the bike. Edwin Rubis. Edwin Rubis has been inside. 27 years for Canada.

Wow. That's incredible. To accept this call, press five. You may begin speaking now. Edwin, you're live on the Ian Bix show. Huge podcast. Now, let me tell you about Ian first because he's one of our brothers. He did time for a fraud.

You know, no rat, nothing. He just did his time. How much times you do, Ian? Three years. I went to trial. He went to trial. I love trial, guys. So he's got a podcast.

He's making headways. And you're on his show. Edwin Rubis has been incarcerated since 1997 for cannabis. Wow. What's up, man? 98. So can he hear you or how is that? Yeah, I mean, I could hear him talking.

I don't know if he could hear us. He can't hear you. So he said, what's up? Just kind of tell him. Yeah, we hear you perfect. So just tell your story and just tell him about everything. Thank you for sharing your story, man. Yeah, thank you for sharing the story.

And then I think it's also very relevant that you talk about the fact that the leader of the conspiracy decided to testify on you. How much was this plea deal before trial? How much did they offer? you, Edwin, if you didn't go to trial. Yeah. They don't really do that anymore. That's terrible. That's 1990.

That's 1990. Politics. And you're still there. Even the penalization for going to trial is nuts. Like, that's your amendment right to go to trial. 100%. The federal system was built out of, like, scary racist laws as far as the, like, criminal statutes that guidelines, the minimum mandatory.

they all need to be abolished and start over and max out if a guy let's I don't even care like whatever a drug whatever drug it is but we're on cannabis let the cannabis out right now because society's seeing it but like man they're just maxing these guys out and taking away their lives for something that they don't even understand what they were doing when they're that much like 15 years later like I am not the same person I was when I went to prison you know well Edwin uh we uh Well, I'm going to Washington, D.C. with the van. We're working with my representative, Congressman Ilhan Omar. We're trying to raise the issue that they just rescheduled to Schedule 3.

And, you know, we're optimistic. I'm very, I'm going to be out there, you know, trying my hardest for you, brother. It's just I can't. Yeah, thank you, bro. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You're the man, bro.

You give out a lot of wisdom. and there's an article in him about Edwin and Edwin Rubus in the USA Today already. He's got a lot of internet coverage. I encourage people to Google him. And there's a fundraiser, Fun Raz, Edwin Rubus. And just think about Edwin Rubus. And then my thing is Edwin's coming to Minnesota where I live. We got him up there is like when he gets out, right?

So this man's been incarcerated off a plant. That's literally, there's thousands of people making millions of dollars of America for him. And they help. The cannabis community is the best community ever. And honestly, Edwin, like my representative, I have a representative at home, Jess Hansen, she put me on stage when they legalized marijuana. That's what got me started too.

It's like there's people that believe he should not be in prison in high offices. And there's a lot of big businesses that support helping get him out of prison. So I just can't say enough about the people that everybody together needs to do a lot and they are doing a lot, but do more to get him out,

especially people that are, selling cannabis. Yeah, Ian. Thank you. Yeah. All right. God bless you, Edwin. Yeah, best of luck, man.

Keep your head up. All right. We love you, brother. Keep your head up. All right. We love you. All right. Peace.

So, yeah. How do you guys meet? Yeah, I'll tell you. So I got into activism, like the hardcore, started selling the low-dose levels, basically THC. I watched the movie

The Need for Weed on Netflix with Randy Lanier. And he's out. Randy Lanier received a life sentence for cannabis. And he runs an organization called Freedom Grow. He's a CEO and their beautiful organization. So I watched the Netflix movie and then I messaged him on Facebook.

I was like, yo, bro, I'm one of your brothers. I did that time like you. And then he messaged me back and we developed a friendship. And he showed me Freedom Grow. And then I started going in Freedom Grow. But I'm like a super duper marijuana guy convict type deal. Like I've walked to walk. Like I was in Tara Hut for four years.

So I know all these people. So I just kind of, he opened. ended up for me, like how you can be an activist and, you know, help these people not go back to prison, you know, send them money. And I just started building relationships with them from that. It's all been about the fact that I got back into the cannabis industry. And then honestly, Ian, it was just like once I started, it was like a book. I just couldn't stop reading.

I was like, man, this is crazy. And there's so much money being made legally. And yet we have guys doing de facto life sentences, you know? So it's just always like, yeah. And it's just spiraled into. Now, are you allowed to visit him? I got into visit Parker Coleman, and he's serving a 60-year sentence. In the feds.

Yeah, in Beaumont, Texas. I couldn't believe it either. How is that possible? I heard they're strict kind of on that. Yeah, yeah. No, if you've been out and you're not on probation, they'll let you in. And plus, I think his counselor let me see him. I just feel like his situation is so bad.

They're locked down in USP, Beaumont, Texas, 23 hours a day. He doesn't get a lot of contact from people. and, you know, he's got a lot of support per se, but to actually go down to the prison and visit him, I'm committed to visit him once a month until he gets out because I see his sentence is nothing but blatant racism. He was sentenced out in North Carolina. He only had like 70 pounds on that conspiracy,

and then they link a bunch of testimony. And you know how the federal government, they use testimony as actual crimes. So some rat can say, yeah, I saw Parker sell weed with a gun in his pocket. Yeah. And that's another. 20 years. The prosecutor wants to do it

like that. And that's what they did to him down there because of the fact that he was having sexual relationships with a probation officer, I guess, and she was like friends with her dad was friends with the judge. Yeah, and they just slammed them. They slammed everybody on the case. The bars set so low for conspiracies in the feds. Like the level

of evidence. And the way they look at it is if one person's guilty the conspiracy, everyone's guilty and they rope everyone in. It's disgusting what they do. It is disgusting. And if you go to trial, like we just heard, You get way punished. And now it's like you got 10 rats on you.

You know, like that's one thing about my case. I wasn't just like I felt like I got, I did get busted. I didn't get busted with the weed per se, but I was on the phone. It wasn't like a bad conspiracy like these guys where they, like some people, they'll just, the federal government just over the course of six months. If you're the guy they want, they'll just, uh, they'll just get testimony on you and basically not have anything. Let's say they caught one package coming and they thought it was yours.

And yeah. Yeah, let's talk about your case. How, what physical evidence was linking to you? Yeah, you got, the guy got pulled over. Because you called him or he showed on. Me. If I would, I believe if I would have just hung up and be like, fuck you, I don't know what I'm just talking about. And we could have, there's so many things I could have done.

Like, I could have put track or I could have known what he was doing. But like, you're just going with the flow. That was just like a normal thing to traffic 700 pounds from California back then for me. That was just like the morning. Just the morning. Like, we were going to Canada. We had also. That particular weed was coming from Los Angeles.

Brick weed. How much you think you made over your career? Oh, I made a lot of them. I lost it all, though. You lose it. When you go to the feds, that's how the games play. You make a bunch of money. I had a million dollars when I left cash.

Yep, I had a restaurant, Mikey's Grill. I had a cabin up north, and I had some more property doing great. But I went away for eight years, you know, and then I left the money in wrong places. Future criminals, if you're ever going to prison, bury your money and don't trust anybody. It's all gone. So it's just like, yeah. So you gave it to people to hold and they fucked it? I thought I was, yeah, I just had bad ideas.

I was 21 years. I was literally 21. I'm 42. I looked back at myself like, yeah. I had a little money when I got out. I had about $100,000. Were they able to seize any of your assets? No.

Because it wasn't tied to it or? No. Mine was just, I was a poor kid, white, you know, white trash kind of. Like I said, I pride myself on that, but hardworking in a good way. But, like, poor kid coming up from, like, not a lot of money. So there wasn't a lot of wealth there. I'd only been home from the county homeschool. like two years at best.

No, actually as long as that. So I got out, I got busted in 2004. I got out 2001. So three years. So it was just like, no, I didn't, they didn't really take anything. Yeah, they just, they were more interested in putting me in prison for a long time. So they knew you were the ringleader. Yeah.

That's what they do in the feds. When they have your eyes, they will literally look past dead bodies. Like the mafia guys are a perfect example. Oh, yeah. They look past all of that just to get who they want their eyes on. Is there any mob guys? And Fort Dix with you? None that I got to interact with it.

Oh, I was chopping it up with it. I beat up a pedophile in front of a lot. Oh, we got to get to that. Yeah. So you, do you get bail when you get arrested or no? Yeah, they give you pretrial release. So you were allowed to have that. Yeah, and then they said I threatened somebody and that was over with that for four months.

Did you think about running? Because you had the cash. Yeah. Yeah, and I would encourage that if somebody did go through my situation again. Like, bro, bounce. Why didn't you bounce? I was 21 years old kid. I was scared.

When they let you out on the bracelet, it's another five years. So if they know they're coming after you, just run. It's nothing. But if they arrest you and you can't run then, it's five years. Because the clock starts once you get arrested. Plus you're hoping, too. I was a young kid. I was optimistic.

I didn't know how evil. I love the government. But I didn't know how evil the situation I was going into was and I was screwed. I was hopeful for five years. But that wasn't happening. Well, I think it's divided. Like when you say government and evil, You got to narrow it down to like the prosecution.

And I love everybody. You can't be. And I don't get mad at institutions. Like I'm not mad at a prosecutor for prosecuting me. I feel like he did his job. I did my job. I didn't rat. He booked me and the judge saved me.

I had a good judge. But there are some that take it personal. The prosecutors. Yeah. When they start giving life sentences like Parker Coleman, that's a perfect example. That's a, in the Edward Rubin said Parker Coleman, I'm a little concerned about. That was in 2000. 2012, 2010, you know?

So, like, a lot of these practices are going away. And, like, North Carolina, I've noticed a trend that we have a lot of big cases coming out there. But, yeah, Parker Coleman is a prosecutor abuse, like, not necessarily abuse, but it's just like, how far are you going to take this? I remember the, whatever, I could talk about the federal criminal session. I'll just tell you this. I remember Bush, when he was in office, it was always charged the max. Do as much. Like, if you're going to go after somebody, charge him as hard as you can, you know?

So that's... So you got your bond revoked too, because I did too. Yeah, and I said I threatened this, whatever. A witness or something? Somebody owe me money, turned into a witness after that. So they revoked your bond? Did they call you to court or they showed up and arrested you? Yeah, they revoked my bond and they have you bring in front of the magistrate.

And then all the, what I would consider rats, get up there and say, hey, he threatened me and I was like, well, you owe me $100,000. And that's how I thought back then. And they were like, yeah, go to jail. But I didn't say like that. I was like, for us, I didn't threaten him. I don't know what you're talking about. And, yep, they revoked my bond.

And then it was on to Sherburn County. Did you get a plea deal or did you take it to trial? They gave me 11 years. I actually came back on appeal off a Booker. So I got 135 months with a five-year minimum mandatory back when the guidelines were mandatory. Yeah, they got rid of that, right? Yep. And then so my, that was actually happened.

Blakely came out while I was going through my case. So we objected. Got the judge to, like, the judge, so we go into sentencing, right? I'm 21 years old. Christmas time. I remember it's December 22nd. And I'm in there. I still don't know what's going on. I swear to God, when you get arrested by the feds, if anybody, you've been through this. It's just like a whirlwind. Everything changed.

It's like you just go through it because you're like, this entity has so much freaking power. If I don't just go deal with these people, you know, whatever. So I'm in court and the prosecutor goes, oh, yeah, we revoked his bond. He's so terrible. Da-da-da-da-da. We want 17 years. I look over. What?

17 years for cannabis? I'm like, oh, man. Like, you know, I'm like, I'm getting frustrated. Like, I'm like, I don't know what to say. And then I get up, I say my piece. I'm like, you know, they got all planned out. I'm like, I don't understand any of this. I just read in the paper they are selling medical weed in California.

Now I got to go to prison for 17, 20, whatever. And the judge goes, no, no, I'm going to give them the, because he gave me my acceptance responsibility. You know, you get that three points. He goes, no, no, I'm going to give them the acceptance responsibility. He got me down to level 31, category three, 135 months. he goes, based on this case and what's in front of me, that's the lowest I can give you. So since he said that, they brought me back on appeal.

And then I get in front of him again, I'm hoping to get the five years, gave me two years off, 11 months. I did eight. So you did eight years on your total time. Where'd you go first? Sandstone. So in Sandstone. I'm like, man, I want to be hard, man. You know what I mean?

I'm in a low. They're like, make your bet. Go work in the kitchen. I'm like, what did? I just got 11 years. Did you not read the fuck this happened? You know what I mean? Like, I'm not making shit.

No. Hell no. And so I just didn't conform to the low. And there's so many sex offenders there. And I'm like just, I'm not like being tough. I'm 155 pounds. And I'm like, I remember I'm in the chahaw. I'm working.

So I go work in the dishroom. The head dishroom guy is like in some gang. I think he's tough or whatever. I don't even know. So I leave. He tells on me like, hey, hey cop. Travis just left. And then I get back.

The cop yells at me. And the next day, I'm like, whatever I say to the guy. Just nonchalantly. I go, hey, why don't you just go tell on me like you did the other day? You know what I mean? So then I go back to the dishroom making my dishes laugh and thinking, boom hits me in the back of the head with the fucking broomsticks, you know what I mean? Who the inmate those?

Yes, he didn't like it. He wouldn't have been told that, you know what I mean? So we started fighting. That was my first fight. And then, like, I just don't understand prison yet. You know what I mean? I'm not getting the stand up for count. I'm just getting shot every shot every shot going hole, whole, whole.

And then I finally, I'm playing pool with my friend. this little this guy and like I thought you know we started gambling you know he started gambling pooling that loose I'm like okay I'm done he's like fuck you you know his little agent

kid like my home boy peewee it's like fuck you I was like man the thing is like I don't really care if somebody says something rude like I can blow that shit off but if people see you be disrespected in prison and you don't do anything about it bro you better think twice

so I'm like man fuck you too you know so we start fighting and I think I'm a whoop him real easy right So boom, I remember I was a lot small. I was like, whatever. So we start fighting. He's countering me every punch. He blocks it. Boom.

Hits me in my palm. I'm like, oh, fuck. Kick me in my shin. So I'm all banged up. So then out of spite in madness, I go and grab a pool stick and hit him with the pool stick. Boom. So then like, actually we got away with it for like a day,

but then they see my eye because it's my buddy. After he blocked it with his arm, you know, and like, honestly, after emotions flare down, we were like, whatever. We were over it. But they got me for it. You know, the people told. Yeah. tell when there's fights, they'll do the knuckle check and stuff.

Yeah, they came and got me, had all that brought him. So, yeah, then they sent me to Tara Hut. And the funny things, we were back in the whole talking to each other. It's like, that's... They might have even put you in the cell together. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now, did they think you were at Chomo at all when you got on the compound? Yeah, you got to show your paperwork, bro.

If I didn't have my paperwork, I would have a terrible, terrible time in federal because I don't care who you are, how tough you are. If you go in there as a rat or pedophile, it's a bad deal. So, yeah, no, I just made it to be known. I had my paper. I was appealing. So my case is in the computer too. So yeah,

a young white kid, yeah. And then not being a rat is not enough because in them lows, you got rats running the place sometimes. So you got to just, so I just was like, I wasn't like trying to fight, but just it happened and happened and happened.

You know, just being dumb. Like, oh, and then I laugh. I just want to laugh and smoke weed. I was trying to always find weed in there, you know? Yeah, a lot of the head-to-orderlies are rats. Yes. Yeah, they're hanging out with the cops, bro,

that you're a rat. And I'm so used to the like, So now I'm in the industry So I was in Tara Hut for four years And we're really on that note And Tara Hut is where they The execution for the Fed When they used to execute

So I went to the medium Right when it was a USP So I went in right when they closed that I went in there Boom so it was like crazy You got the USP guys You got everybody And then that's when the value

Of me not being a rat really kicked in Because then I get with the guys You show your paper But it was still like 80% Like gangs You know what I mean Like Chicago gang

I could say you know a lot it's very much and then you got some you got some and it's all about the cars and it's the states but it's more it's it's racially segregated there so unlike the low where it's not really racially segregated that was my first like this is racially but I still talk to everybody but you had to sit with like you know sit with white people or whatever or you know it's just how did they explain these rules you're just going to freaking chahall and you see unless you're like from a state that had power so of like Michigan they're white sometimes white guys could sit over there because there's a lot of the guys holding it down there. But you just go in the child hole and you just see how it goes, you know?

And you see that like we're such a minority in there that like you just got to, you got to really navigate. That was a lot different. You got to really navigate. Like the situations happen who you hang out with. So it's like places where the politics that people care about like the chowel or the TV room, like I would just try to. But I went, I hung out with the Italians.

I got lucky enough. I got in with a dude named Patty from the Bronx, Tony D. Flipple, and they were serving. life sentences in there. So I just kind of hang out with them and they were 70. So I would just listen to them, hang out with them, and then that kept me away. And then Tony Pepito, he was actually in Tara Hut before when it was a USP back in the day

because he's been in since 1982. He died in prison, rest of peace, selling cocaine, but they linked him in some mob stuff. But yeah, he was in there. So he made it easier, just kind of like he knew the way. That was the only way I would have survived. I don't even know. It was just crazy.

I can't imagine. I look at my cousin. that are 21 years old. And like, because I was, I didn't make it at Sandstone, but like a year. F that 10 months. Boom, on the bus.

Yeah. Yeah. So I just look at people going in that situation. And that's why I really feel for like Parker Coleman, 23 years old, 60 years. And I'm just like, I feel like we're on the tipping point. Maybe we can change some of that. Yeah.

Tell us how the Italians operate in these prisons. They're just older and they just stick to themselves. And it's just a privilege. They're just like, seeing these guys, I was in there with Peter Gotti's brother, John Gotti's brother, Peter Gotti, excuse me, he was in Tara Hut. They just, they're highly respected, you know, but it's still, they're still older, you know, so it was nice for having me around. Like, they'd have me in there, and Tara Hudd, I'd go work in the kitchen, and then they'd have me steal, like, the pasta. I'd bring the pasta. Every Tuesday, Tony gave me a bowl, those plastic bowls with the Tupper top filled with pasta.

And they just hate rats. and hate pedophiles and they're super cool and like so wise and honestly hanging out with those guys I always thought I was a gangster and then hanging out with those guys I just realized I wasn't and no one screws with them

not even the guards like no one yeah yeah no they got a lot of respect if you're in there on a you're a good guy yeah they got a lot of respect in there for sure yeah for sure so you worked your way back down from a medium to a low yeah for the drug program

they sent me out to Fort Dick so I did four years I did the majority of my sentence in Tara Hut. They sent me back to the low. I didn't even think I was going to go to the low, but my case manager had known me forever. He's like, boom. Can you tell the audience how that works with the point system?

Yeah. What happens when you get in trouble? You get kicked to a higher, how long it takes to work your way down, that whole thing. So it's all about age now, and it wasn't so much back then, but if you're young, you get points for being young. You get eight points, and they call this your classification.

You get eight points for being young. And then the seriousness of your current. crime. And then so like that's all it has to do. Like, and then if you have a lot of points, you elevate to a medium high. So I was always at a medium high. Right when I went to the medium high, I was like right before a USP. And then like, in my opinion, you have the medium highs and lows and all that. Then you have the USPs. That's where it's like there's no chance to be normal after that. Yeah, you got a strap up right. You don't have a choice. I'm not coming in here claiming. I was in the medium high and it was, it was serious in there.

I can't even imagine because then everybody has life. So it's like, how do you, if you're going home too, because I was going home, I always wanted to get out of there, Ian. You know, that's the thing in there. You can get into a trick. You can not let something slide or do a bad thing. You hit somebody, fight, he hits you, you get stabbed. He gets stabbed.

You catch a case. You're not going home. Well, you become someone you don't want to be, but you have to. Oh, I had. You have to fight. You have to become that person. When I went to Tara Hut, I remember I got in my first fight, dude called me a bitch. And I was like, here we go.

And so he called me a bitch in the Chahoe. So I went back. I was like, what did you say? And he's like, I called you. And just punched him right in his face. Started fighting. Kenny, I remember his name. And yeah, and like I beat him up in front of the whole tier.

And it was like, then I went to the hole. And like, so you kind of played the delicate bounce. I didn't want to go to the pen. So what would have happened if you didn't hit him? If I didn't hit him? Yeah, if he called you a bitch. And they tried to rate me. The people in there would abuse you.

They take that weakness and they just pry on you and try to take your stuff. And like, it's just hell, especially as a younger guy, younger white kid, let's just say what it is. Being a young white kid in prison is fucking tough. You know, you have no choice but the fight or else you're going to be. It just is what it is. And you still got to navigate because of the gang situation in there. You know what I mean? There isn't.

And then like, and that's when you get to the USPs, as I've been told that you just got to, you got to be willing to stab people. You got it right away, you know? And then, yeah, prison's all about the situation that the system puts you into. They can put you into a medium high or even a bad prison. You go in the cell. You have a pedophile in there. Some other shot callers like, hey, you've got to handle that tonight.

You got to beat him up. You got to get him out of here. He's got to check in. And that's your responsibility. And if you don't, you're- Your ass is grass. And that's like, that's shitty rules, you know? I don't know how these judges, honestly, sleep at night,

sending young individuals non-violent crimes giving them, They know what they're doing. They're not oblivious. You give someone a 10-year sentence. You know where they're going at a young age, too, with the points. So why is a nonviolent offender going to face a very dangerous thing? Because people aren't aware of the public. The public's not aware of the federal system.

They're not aware of the guy. But the officials know. The judges know what they're doing. Yeah. But then they get it in front of the judge with the mandatory minimums, guideline sentence. You got a prosecutor that's going to appeal. And then the judges are, a lot of them, political. appointed. What do we see in politics? Extremists. You know, one way or the other. You know,

so if you get in front of a wrong judge, yeah, it's, it's insane. This is, this is why this show is so important, too, because it shows the raw, like, you do an interview on CNN or whatever, right? Yeah. They're editing out the violence that Chomo's getting beat up. They're not airing any of that. I got the, when we get the Fort Dixon, my prison side, I got the funniest Chomwell beat up ever. You can, people can come on my show and share it and I don't edit it. I'll put everything like how you got to fight, you know, this and that. And that's how you change things. Not all these other news and TV shows that literally edit it down and they bleep out what really goes on.

Man, and I remember when I first, so I first get to Tara Hut. This is before I kind of linked up. So after I got in the fight, Tony saw me fight. He was an Italian. So that's when he was like, okay, he's got a little promise. But man, I was terrified in there, bro. Like, I ain't not even gonna lie. When I first walked in there, you were just,

it's just a whole different demeanor. Everybody's different. Like, they're closing down a pen, so it's still kind of penitentiary time. And it's like, it's not okay environment. Well, A, the problem is there's no hope for guys because there's no parole. We're doing 87% of our time, you know.

So it's just like, yeah, they got to fix that, hopefully. And it's through politics. And it's just, I encourage people, you know, who you vote for matters. if you care about criminal justice reform, the decisions you say matter, and, you know,

just do what feels good to you when I say that. And that's why I've been vocal in Minnesota about getting in front of as many politicians because they passed social equity with cannabis. And when I saw that, I was like, whoa, this is great. I was like, I've been waiting for this my whole life. So I get points for going to prison for marijuana.

I was like, oh, I got the best one ever. I went and got my paperwork. I showed them. They're like, holy crap, you did eight years when you're 21 for cannabis, nonviolent? I was like, yeah. That's what I love what these states are doing are giving licenses to the felons.

That's what being a felon comes to the adie. It makes us excited. It makes us want to vote for them. And that's what they want. And that's the thing. So we're used to the justice system. Dealing with the politicians and talking about issues is like a way more rewarding thing.

But some of them are fishy. Like I'll tell you, in Connecticut, man, I try to get involved and they are fishy. Like they don't want any involvement. They're careful and this and that. And it's like, you know, I invite them on the show. Come talk. Like, if you cannot campaign on something to say, like, you're for reentry,

your four criminal justice reform. But then you won't come onto a show and talk with someone because they're a felon or you won't be seeing the same room as them. But that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Yeah, Minnesota, we have some great politicians that on a local level, in the national level like Ilhan Omar she's trying to change the world there's nothing wrong with her she's not racist she likes everybody like

they paint a bad label on people just to do it and it's like I meet with these people I called every representative in my state I just keep it real bro like I called all the people because I'm trying to change the world here man this we're running out of time Edward Rubis is getting older man why isn't he out

and she jumped up to the plate and she's like we're going to take this issue on and I'm going to meet with them in Washington more and that's how it goes, yeah, you got it. See, seven out of ten people don't want people in prison for cannabis right now. So I'm just like, anything we can do to get in that federal system is like, let's do it.

Yeah, absolutely. So you make it to Fort Dix, which has got to be one of the largest... Best prison in America. Best prison, but also the biggest tromo facility. It's got to be. And I'm coming off hard. We had weights at Tara Hut, so I'm coming off. You know, I'm like 27 at the time. So

the first thing I do is I linked up with the Boston guys. I was like, oh man, I come out and see them still to this day. 038, most respect. But I link up with them because they're having. Looking to start 2026 with an unforgettable getaway. Fiji Airways sale is on now. Fly nonstop round trip to Fiji from just 748.

Or enjoy a sunny Fiji stopover on your way to Australia with roundtrip fairs starting from 839. As a one world alliance member and American Airlines Advantage program partner, your miles go further across the South Pacific. Book now at Fiji Airways.com or contact your local travel agent. Fun were drinking and stuff. So I started like, Fort Dix is crazy. You make a lot of money at Fort Dix. Yeah.

I've seen guys make a lot of money at Fort Dix. Making hustling, throwing bags over the fence. Hooch. White, I remember going to the bathroom one night, and these buildings are crazy because there's no security. No cameras. They're huge. One guard.

Yes. Three floors. Three floors on top of each, like, boom. I'm in the bathroom, and they take out a little hammer and they're knocking the bricks. They move the bricks out, and they have a string, and they're just yanking up this bag of hooch. It's incredible. Yeah. They're cooking.

They have gas stoves. Like, they're lighting up white lightning. Yeah. Cell phones, you know, and they're just... Such a compound. It's like, when you get to that prison, you're like, yeah, there's a lot of pedophiles here. I think I'd rather just make fun of them and smack them once in a while. I don't want to leave this place.

This is nice. Yeah. Well, that's why they're protected there because no one wants to leave four sticks. And that's why I like the Boston car, because, like, basically, we just part. and kept the weirdos away from us. And Boston guys are nuts anyway. So it's like, yeah, you just formed, we formed our own little,

well, they had a little grouper and you just keep them away. Keep the pedophiles away. And then get drunk and then, you want to hear about? Yeah, you got to tell us this story. So I'm coming back from 5802. So we got to set the scene on Fort Dex.

Tell us the whole story. Fort Dix is an old army compound, right? It's a bunch of buildings all over the place, like 12 buildings on each side, fenced in. like dormitories like college, right? So I'm coming back from 5802. I'm going up to 5812 walking and then, you know,

they had the track that you walk in between. And I've been drinking down at 5802 with the Boston guys having fun. So I just spit on a pedophile on my way home for like, I'm like, yeah, whatever, no big deal. Like, yeah, you should be used to that by now. He was an older pedophile, too. He was seven years old, too. I ain't a lie.

But he, like, raped a baby. He'd been down 27 year. I think he murdered some baby or some weird shit. And everybody knew about it. it so I spit on him no big deal I go sit by like all the Italians and stuff and no I'm not gonna say names but they'll remember it and then

I'm just chilling like jump having fun laughing didn't even think much about he comes the but then I look out the corner of my the pedophile comes running up all mad and he's I think he had like something in his hand so I jump they're like hey you gotta go handle that one of the Italians like so I jump up go to handle it and then he's like yeah what did you do

and I was go boom gave him the cleanest right in my life seven year old man knocked him clean out but he was a pedophile you know it was fucking deal with it. So yeah, that was funny. Anytime you can beat up a sex offender and get away with it, a true sex offender, it's a good day. Now, what do you mean by the true ones? Because there are different categories. No, just if they're convicted, they did it and you know they did it, you know, they deserve to get beat up in prison. That's just what happens. It's like the older dudes in there on good cases are so disgusted by looking at them after a while. And it's just like, it's our duty

to beat them up and make it so they don't want to come back to jail. Now, because you were a young guy at Fort Dix, did you have a lot of Chomos try to scope you out to befriend you? Because that's what I was on that fuck you fight in time. You know what I mean? By then, just like, get away from me is like the whole art of prison is like who your friends are. Like so if anybody's looking at advice on prison, it's all about who you hang out with. It's going to make or break your bit. And you're guilty by association automatically. You hang out with rats, you are a rat. You hang out with pedophiles. You are a rat. It is what it is. That's how it goes in there. Yeah. And talk about the library at Fortix, how it's ran by the Chomos. Yeah.

I didn't go down there. You can't. You're, I did the electrical course, though. Oh, you did? Yeah, electrical was legit. Yeah, but then you'll get up there and then there'll be a pedophile running. And you're like, man, it's just like, bro, go to a, go read some, I'm not going to be a pedophile book anymore or something.

I fucking get out of the electrical place. How much good time did you lose out of your? I lost a lot. I remember in Tara Hut, you don't lose good time like that. It's not like the low. You know what I mean? So, like, by the time I got kicked out of sandstone, I remember I went and go to a D. show he's like bro I don't have any more good time I can take from you because they can't go

forward and take good time they can only go back so I was like yeah all right whatever so they left me in the hole I remember that hole was so little I spent a lot of time in there yeah what do you mean by little like it was just it was old prison you know the older prisons got smaller cells so it's like super the cell is like six foot by four the the shoe and sandstone it makes you go crazy yeah you really just value like right now every day is the best day. I wake up so happy. I'm like, man, and I'm not working construction anymore. I'm like, man, I'm selling weed again. This is legal. Not like, not weed, but like low-dose edibles. But I'm like, man, this is, we don't need anything. Like, bro, I just want to be happy

and spread the message and like, yeah, prison gives you appreciation. It either breaks a guy I've noticed since they come home. Like, when you get out, it's like, man, no, it's not bad. today is not a bad day. I don't care if it's raining. It's the best day ever. I just, I did eight years once. I remember sitting in that, the phone room and Tara Hut looking out the window like, man, I am never going to be sad ever when I get the hell out of here. Looking at the Coralink's computer, like, man, I hope I get a message today. Remember that? Have you kept that promise? I went back one time for 90 days. I got caught with five pounds of weed.

Really? What? After you got out for serving eight years? So this is how I got into weed, right? So the construction, the girl left, right? I'm sad, man. I loved her, man. You know, but I did work out. I had a granted business. I guess I didn't hit it big enough for whatever. You met her after prison. Yeah, after prison. You know, did the whole, fall in love. That's why I'm super on the activism. I'm single. I'm like, man, I'm just going to be an activist. No kids.

Like, this is great. So, I get into CBD. Remember when CBD got big in Idaho? Well, yeah. I mean, I got arrested in Idaho. That's what I'm getting to. But CBD got big in America 2020, right? COVID came. I'm hustling CBD. I'm like, COVID comes. I thought the construction was over. Everybody was telling me construction was over, but it was best thing ever for construction COVID for some reason.

Yeah, I know. But I thought it was dying. So I'm like, man, I'm going to go sell CBD. and then like, I'm in Oregon, I'm trying to sell, buy CBD, like, do pre-roll CBDs in Minnesota. We're not making any freaking money. I'm like, dude, give me some fucking weed, bro. So, like, the fourth trip back, I have five pounds of CBD. And like, I'm like, man, I'm just going to tell the cops it's fucking CBD if I get pulled over. And fuck it, it's going to be all right. And I got pulled over in Idaho.

I had five pounds of CBD. I told the cop with CBD was real weed. I had five pounds of weed. And I did, yeah, they had to fight that. Get a lawyer. I did 90 days. In the state. Yeah, state of Idaho.

Was it legal at the time or now? Hell no. Idaho's crazy. Oh, so you got lucky you only got 90 days. I know, bro. I was sweating bullets. You could have got a hefty sentence again. I could have went to prison. And if you had a felony, you had felonies on your record.

Yeah, yeah. A broken heart will do that too. Now, do you have probation now still? No, no, I'm completely off. And that was just, and that was cannabis again. So it's like, even when I'm in my distressing days, for some reason was, I was like, man, I'm a traffic weed again. I'm like literally like original gangster washed up fucking old.

man, thinking I can drive back from California to Minnesota, like mail it, like everybody else does, you know what I mean? Like, the game's changed a lot, you know? So, like, how is it reintegrating with your parents when you got out? It's just you spend as much time as you can with them, but they're like... It's never the

same. No, it's tough, man, it's tough on these parents, it's tough on these mothers. The mothers are ashamed for some reason. It's not their fault. My mom was embarrassed for some reason. I'm like, mom, this is cool. At least I can go to state prison. I went to federal prison. You know, so like, yeah, it's sad.

And I see the other moms now with the inmates I work with, and I'm just like, my heart melts, you know? It's just like too much time. Was your family curious about your prison experience? No, they didn't like it at all. They're like super like, don't talk to me about that shit. Like, really? Yeah, they weren't like, it wasn't fun.

Were you open about it after? Yeah, I'll talk about it in time. It was like eight years, but it was like, they kind of did it with me in a way. Like, all time I'm calling them for, like, I feel like maybe after eight years. years of calling and visiting, you know, they're like, yeah, no, it's really interesting now that they pass this bill.

And then when I went on stage, like, when that representative put me on stage and she was like, hey, he's a victim of the drug war. And I got to get up there. Like, I got arrested right there in front of like all the politicians. It's like, so now, because I've always just been a cannabis dude, you know what I mean? It's like, now it feels good. Now it's cool. Yeah, now it's rewarding.

But in 2004, this shit, man, it was, no, it was. very traumatizing man it's very very when you take years out of someone's life you know what i mean maybe not for a right cause that's a huge responsibility that the government does and it's just like i'm thinking they're ready to change you know minneapolis they had we had george floyd and that's been the huge that sparked a lot of change in the criminal justice system so like i'm super energized to uh bring force change in the system that we've been dealing with so knowing what you know now if if you could go back to your you know teenage self before you got caught what advice would you give him and would you do it all again?

Barry the money. Yes, I would do it again. I have no regrets. There's no cell phones back then. Cell phones ruined crime. Barry the money. No regrets, man. I salute for not ratting and like just go take your time.

But like the person now, there's no excuses. You know, I know I know that if I get into the illegal business, I'm just going to harm my family again. I know that. You know, and it's just like I just feel like I got a second. chance and I feel we need to help the people get a second chance too. So do you feel like it's a maturity thing? Like I know when I was younger, not knowing what the consequences of actions were, not ever thinking ahead.

Like I was always living in the moment. Yeah. So now I'm thinking, okay, if I do this, this is going to happen. But back then I never thought about that. Yeah, there's a study. And that's why they try to give you 10 years when you're 20 and get you up to 30 years old. Because our testosterone drops in young men, there's a study like, yeah, it's facts. We get older and we think about stuff.

And for non-violent drug offenders, if someone's sentenced in his 20s, we got to give him another shot when he's 30, not keep him in until 40 with 20 years. So, yeah, it's like I see things completely different now. I see the consequences of my actions. I see how it will hurt. I don't want to hurt anybody anymore, man, you know, physically, mentally, none of that crap. That's a real sign of emotional maturity. It's like people matter.

Everybody matters. Everybody I'm not better than anybody. You know, everybody matters. And it's just like, there's so much more of a. warning to spread love. I remember being in prison. Like I thought I was a badass. I wasn't tough at all, man. Then you get out of prison. You're actually tough now. And what are you going to do with that, Travis? I'm going to spread love and help people. Like I went into prison. I was like a scared little white kid trying to like listen to rap and like not really knowing what what the shit's

really all about. But I was with it back then, you know, but you figure out what it's all about inside prison. And I was like, no, I don't want to keep further in that crap even in there. I wasn't like, I was smoking weed. I wasn't doing drugs and like trying to get and not saying your tattoos put you in prison, but like, you know what I'm saying? Like, I just, I wanted, I studied construction. You know, I wanted to do construction really bad when I came home. I wanted to prove, like, I can work.

I can do something. I just never had a chance, man. I got booked when I was 21, you know? And it was like, yeah, no, yeah, you change a lot in there. Absolutely. Well, Travis, thank you so much for coming on the show and sharing your story. And I love the energy.

I love the passion. And hopefully this brings awareness to not only what you're doing, but the people that you're at. advocating for. Yeah. And definitely stay in touch and, uh, you know, check out your website and, and see how they could support you. I appreciate you, brother. Thank you. Absolutely.