Matthew Cox | Inside True Crime Podcast - How an Innocent Kid Got Caught in a Police Setup

Episode Date: April 10, 2026

Jacob Smith shares his story about being set up by the DEA. ⁣ ⁣ Get 50% sitewide for a limited time. Just visit https://GhostBed.com/cox and use code COX at checkout.⁣ ⁣ Do you want to be a guest? Fill out the form https://forms.gle/5H7FnhvMHKtUnq7k7⁣ ⁣ Send me an email here: [e-mail]⁣ ⁣ Do you extra clips and behind the scenes content?⁣ Subscribe to my Patreon: https://patreon.com/InsideTrueCrime ⁣ ⁣ 📧Sign up to my newsletter to learn about Real Estate, Credit, and Growing a Youtube Channel: https://mattcoxcourses.com/news⁣ ⁣ 🏦Raising & Building Credit Course: https://mattcoxcourses.com/credit ⁣ 📸Growing a YouTube Channel Course: https://mattcoxcourses.com/yt⁣ 🏠Make money with Real Estate Course: https://mattcoxcourses.com/re⁣ ⁣ Follow me on all socials!⁣ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insidetruecrime/⁣ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matthewcoxtruecrime⁣ ⁣ ⁣ Do you want a custom painting done by me? Check out my Etsy Store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/coxpopart⁣ ⁣ Listen to my True Crime Podcasts anywhere: https://anchor.fm/mattcox ⁣ ⁣ Check out my true crime books! ⁣ Shark in the Housing Pool: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0851KBYCF⁣ Bent: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BV4GC7TM⁣ It's Insanity: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KFYXKK8⁣ Devil Exposed: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TH1WT5G⁣ Devil Exposed (The Abridgment): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1070682438⁣ The Program: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0858W4G3K⁣ Bailout: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bailout-matthew-cox/1142275402⁣ Dude, Where's My Hand-Grenade?: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXNFHBDF/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1678623676&sr=1-1⁣ ⁣ Checkout my disturbingly twisted satiric novel!⁣ Stranger Danger: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BSWQP3WX⁣ ⁣ If you would like to support me directly, I accept donations here:⁣ Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/MattCox69⁣ Cashapp: $coxcon69 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The train tops in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They open the bag, and there's these two big bundles of grass. Turn around you're under arrest. We're a DEA. The bag wasn't yours. No, I'm not guilty, and I'm going to fight this till the end. Growing up, I was a straight-A student. I only ever missed two weeks of school,

and that's because I got in a horrible accident. Went to college, mother youngest of nine. Dad had two brothers. I was the first one to get a college degree in the family. Not only that, I set the bar even higher and got a master's degree. and my girlfriend and I, we were just taking a trip on a train going on vacation. The train takes off and it stops in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They're like, all right, we're taking the 30-minute pit stop.

They had like a bunch of little shops right there, people selling artifacts, necklaces, bracelets, you know. And I was looking around in our cart. There's a bunch of carts. And in our car, they're all old people, like, except for the staff. The staff was young. But we were old. I mean, everyone else was old. My girl and I were like combined age, the youngest.

10 years for the next person. You know, like everyone was old. I just remember that. All right, babe, let's go. So we get off the train and we're looking around. And I'll never forget, I look and I see these two bald Caucasian dudes walk up and they're wearing flannel shirts and they're wearing jeans and tennis shoes and they're civilian clothes.

How are my interesting? So I just look at them and, you know, the military always got attention to detail. And I noticed they go to the bags. I don't know if you've been on a Greyhound bus or whatever. They used to. They have them underneath. Exactly. Same thing with the trains. All the bags are together. Makes sense, right? And they're checking through all the bags. They're checking through all the bags. They're checking through all the bags. And everyone starts to get back on the train. And they pulled out a black bag. I'll never forget. And they're like, whose bag is this? Whose bag is this? And no one's saying anything. They're like, well, there's no tag on it. So we can open it. And I was walking by, they opened the bag. And there's these two, I just see these two big bundles of, uh, grass and I walked by and I was like dang my girl and I walked to our cabin and I heard an old lady

say that's not mine you know and everyone laughed or whatever and um I look over and I see the two guys they beeline it to us and they pull out their they put their train like and they pull it out and they they had badges and they turn around you're under arrest we're DEA and I was like what the fuck and I looked at the badge and I was like oh shit it's a cool badge you know and he's like turn around and I was like dude I'm on your side I'm a veteran and he's like no you're not you're a piece of shit. I was like, he just cuffs me. They cuff my girl. And I'll never forget, like, some people were staring. Some people were looking away. And it was just scary that two guys in civilian clothes can just go and snatch you off a train and no one do nothing. Right.

So I get put in a black escalade. She gets put in a black escalade. And we drive. And we didn't drive that far. And mind you, this was 14 years ago. So Steve's my memory. But we didn't drive that far and I remember going in a tunnel and they parked the vehicles and there was like I don't like 10 spots I don't know but we were underground yeah and then we going through this door and it was like a big square and there was like two cells two cells two cells two cells two cells their little interrogation area and then we go on there they take our pictures like their their mugshot version I guess it was just like a little camera and uh they put me in a room they put her in a room but I could they interrogated her first

and they weren't cells with like the bar it was like a door but it wasn't like the heavy door I can't really explain it and then there was just a cot and like a rug for a blanket that's all you know what I mean no windows yeah it was like a little cell and they were so nice to her they're like do you want water do you want soda and I was like I'll take so they're like shut the fuck up like like they were just so yeah well they're hoping she's gonna say oh my god he had it but he it was the the dope was his and you know like that's what they're

hoping is that she'll do that and then you have to buckle because I got this shit to tell it on me. Yeah. Yeah. But so a couple questions real question. One, the bag wasn't yours. No. You hadn't even seen the bag. You didn't know. Okay. Did you guys have bags? Yes. I'm going to get to that a second. Yeah, yeah. Because they actually, I'll get to that a second. I'm curious what, like what are you thinking during this, what is it, 30 minutes, hour, whatever this, from them pulling you for the bag to where you are now? Like, what are you freaking out? Like, dude, like what, like, why are you pulling me? or like what's yeah i they so again they're two DEA agents and they they literally did the whole good cop bad cop thing right and i picked up on that pretty fast again i'm 21 i think my girl was like

19 18 and um so yeah i was freaking out because like one minute i'm on a train the next minute i'm underground somewhere just like that so they put me they put me and i'll get to those questions in a minute they put me in the cell and then they go both go in my cell and they're like get naked right now. And I was scared. I've never done this before. And I'm like, are you guys going to ruin me?

And they're like, no, what the fuck's wrong with you? They're like, I want to make sure you got nothing up there. And I'm like, you can just ask me, you know? And they're like, turn around.

So I turn around. So I bend over the cough. And I go, and they're like, all right, get dressed. So it's fast. So I get dressed and like cut to,

it's like the singing in the movies. You know, like after something happens, everyone's sitting at the table, awkwardly quiet. Right. They're both looking at me. And I'm looking at them. and we're liking it. I'm like, I understand the cavity search. But did you both have to be in there?

Right. And they look at each other like, he's got a point. Why were we fucking both in there? They're looking at this naked guy. And then they start grilling me and I'm like, it's not mine. You got the wrong guy. I think it's, I'm brown. Everyone else in there was, you know, I think it was racial injustice, racial profile. I don't mean to play that guy. Why? I was like the only brown person on that damn train. You're not brown. You're a white guy. I appreciate that, by the way. I think it's supposed to the lighted. Your name is Jacob Smith. I hear it all the time.

You can't go with that. Like, you need to alter that part of your story. It's not, like, if you were Manwell, you know, something, you know, whatever. Yeah, but they don't know your name when they, they, they don't know your name when they see you. I get it all the time. People think I speak Spanish. No, I am using the whole dual-lingal thing, but I barely know Spanish. So, like.

Are you Spanish at all? I'm Hispanic. Really? My dad's as white as him. And my mom. You're the last name's Smith. Exactly. okay anyway but i'm just not yeah you don't you don't look spanish to me at all i've never heard that before

by the way really yeah they both i don't say i act white and i'm like no i'm i'm i'm Hispanic you know i'm both amazing you know i got both i got everything in me you know but um anyways and then compared compared to like all the old people on the train you you i think it was more like you were just you were just young yeah you were young you were young probably they looked they thought it's None of these people that are in their 70s and 80s. It's none of these old folks. It's that guy. It's that couple right there.

Then you ask. Truth is it was probably some fucking 75-year-old guy who's been doing this on and on. I know. It was the old lady that said it wasn't mine. It was a scarface. Yeah. Remember? Oh, yeah.

He was doing that in Phoenix. Yeah, yeah. We interviewed a guy, Ian. And he would take trains and put the package underneath the train and take the train back and forth. That's how he was moving product at one point. Interesting. From Phoenix. Yeah. Are you serious?

Yeah, yeah. Holy shit. Might have been his. We should get him here. He'd be like, wait, was this in April? That's crazy. Yeah. That's crazy.

Yeah. So, where was that? Yeah, so I'm like, you got the wrong guy. You got the wrong couple, right? And remember I told you that was smart mouth. Right. Because they had said that, oh, we have the guy playing bad cop. The de agent playing bad cop was like, oh, there's a witness that said they saw you put the bag under there.

Yeah. So I'm like, all right. After a while, I'm like, let me say something. assert please you found a bag with the other bags with no tag on it saying that it belongs to us you checked us we had nothing on us your one witness right now is on a train headed out of state i was like clearly you guys got the wrong people yeah he's like you watch too much fucking tv we got you right now and this and that and right so they put me back in the cell again or no that guy ends up saying the guy playing bad cop was like because i had been there for a while you know

it feels like an eternity, you know. And he was like, well, the feds, they don't want you. He's like, well, we're giving you to the state. So he gets up and storms out. I never see him again. I go back to the cell. And again, I've never been in the situation. Now, in college, when I went to ASU, I did a bunch of stupid stuff and I would have like a couple run-ins with the law. And I would go to court, represent myself, and win, get it dismissed. You know, there's a lot of gray area in the law. A lot of people are intimidated, but I'm not intimidated. At least when you're young, arrogant, and cocky, you know, so you live in London, though. I would win a bunch of small cases, you know.

And so I wasn't like, but this was next level, right? So I just went to my little cell. I got on my knees and I prayed. And then I was, all right, well, I guess I'm not going to make it a class, you know. You know, I'm going to prison. I didn't know what to, I didn't know what was next. I thought it was prison because I thought if this is DEA and they got you and they're going to pin it on you, then you're done, you know?

So I just lay down. I took a nap. Right. And time goes by. and then the door opens or it opens and it's the D-Ageant, the good guy that's playing good. He's like, come with me.

So we leave. And he's like, follow me. And he's not talking as much. He usually talked a lot before. And, um, oh, I missed one part. I'm sorry. At one point,

I did try to say, I was like, well, they're not believing me. So I said it wasn't her. She had nothing to do with it. It was mine. I said that.

The fuck are you doing? And because I, I want, they tell you like, you know, do this, get this done, you go home, whatever. They say shit like that. This is what I forgot to rewind before I got to where I was at. And he was like, so you're telling me, you took it and you were headed to Pittsburgh and what was your plan? I was like, I was going to go to a club and try to find someone and sell out wholesale. He's like, you were going to get on a train, take it over there, try to find someone and sell it wholesale.

I was like, yeah, he's like, that makes no sense. I'm like, exactly. I was like, it isn't mine, you know? And then I was, I was like, I'm just trying to tell you what you want. want to know and that's when they had put me back in the cell so fast forward he's like follow me that kind of shit was the kind of shit that comes back on you you you end up they they both get on the stand and say he admitted it was his yeah you're like it was a joke when you're they were they were pressuring you like what kind of what are they saying i'm curious i have um it's your

the bad guy playing bad cop it's yours it's yours but i want to say this real quick when people watch crime shows they're like oh i do this i do that or you watch you when you're actually there in a fucking basement with guys that just pulled you off a train and you can't know you can't do nothing all you want to do is do what you want to get home you want to go home right so they're there i watch enough crime shows i'm 21 at the time i listened to enough podcast sitting in this chair okay first of all podcast didn't exist at the time yeah yeah so i'm 21 and i was barely so i was scared am i going to lie but when i got on he heard it himself when i told him he's like so you did this this this that sounds ridiculous i'm like

Exactly. So he hurted himself, right? And then that's when he's like, well, the feds don't want you, blah, blah, blah. Because they knew it was bullshit. So fast forward, but yes, in hindsight, yes, I would never. But after just interrogation, interrogation, it's yours, it's yours, just say it, come on. And they were, they were, they fucking lie, the bad guy, the guy playing bad cop was trying to say that your girl was saying that.

Yeah. I later find out she didn't say that. No, no. And I was like, no, that's a lie. She wouldn't do that because it's not true. The Supreme Court, the United States, says they're allowed to just blatantly lie. They're allowed to threaten you with the electric chair. Like, you understand if you're better off admitting it.

At least you'll get life in prison. Maybe you'll get out on parole. But if you don't, you're going to get the electric chair. Like you just threatened to have me killed. And so people will admit, oh, my God. And they start thinking, oh, my God. Just like you said, these guys just came and grabbed me. I'm in the basement.

And now they're telling me that I'm going to be in a fucking in the electric chair within a year or two. Yeah. So I better admit it. And then they admit it. And then later you find out that then of course they get the lawyer. The lawyer's like, why'd you admit it? You're like, well, he said this. You're like, now you did fuck up.

Yeah, you are looking at fucking doing 20 or 30 years because you just owned up to something. But they're a lot. And you think, well, I didn't think, you know, he could lie to me. You're wrong. They are absolutely allowed to lie to you. 100%. 100%. If you sleep hot at night, you know how disruptive that can be.

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Again, that's ghostbed.com slash Cox with the code Cox at the checkout to save a whopping 50% off sitewide. Before we get to like what happens down the line, Matt, what do you think at this point? Like, is he screwed because he gave that statement? Like, is there a way to get out of it? It sounds like he covered it right away. Right away, he, luckily the guy was like, it doesn't make sense. Exactly. So it's kind of like it would be better if it was on film.

Because a lot of, a lot of these guys, if he's a. real shit, you know, real fucking shitball, then that cop could have said, could have been like, oh, you just admitted it and just walk out. And then from then on, basically said, you've already admitted it. And you're like, no, it was a joke. I was just fucking with you. I didn't, no, no, you admitted it. And then now he's going to get on the stand and say, this is what the guy said. And then when the, when his lawyer says, wait a minute, he was, he was a joke, it was a joke. He was clearly joking. No, no, he wasn't joking. He admitted. Here's what he said. I heard it. My partner heard it.

Yeah, but then he turned around and said that, no, no. He did because he realized he fucked up. But trust me, he was serious. And then you've got the jury here and he just admitted it. He realized he fucked up and he tried to take it back, but he did admit it. Now you got two fucking, what are the DEA? DEA agents telling 12 jurors he. Visit BetMDMDM casino and check out the newest exclusive.

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We had his fucking drugs. This is what his plan was. And he's going to fucking jail. Because as a juror, you think the judge is infallible. you think that the officer certainly wouldn't lie. And this guy's in on orange jumpsuit with handcuffs on and he got pulled off the train with a duffel bag full of fucking dope. Of course he did it.

You see what I'm saying? It's like even now right now you're going to prison. I know fucking out of it. I guess, sounds like he did it to me. So, yeah, well, wait until you see how it all plays out. So again, after all that, he was like, the feds don't want you, the state's taking it. off and the other guy comes and gets me and we go to an elevator and we get in the elevator

and he's just looking at me just arms crossed just looking at me and I'm like what the fuck I was like I think we're getting transported right and I never got dressed out or anything I was still my civvies and I and I had no cuff in anything or anything um and then the doors open and I see for the first time in hours I see my girlfriend and she walks in and I was like oh my god and I'm like can I hug her you know and he just nods I'm like oh come here baby I love you it's okay she's like I'm scared I was like, it's okay. And she's like, they were asking me all these questions. And she's like, I told them, you don't even smoke cigarettes.

And this is that. You know, I was like, it's fine. It's going to be okay. And the elevator goes up and the door's open. And for the first time in hours, I see light. And I'm like, what the fuck? And he's like, walk out. So her and I walk out of the elevator.

And I just looked. And I'll never forget, again, this was like 14 years ago. It looked like it was an office. There was like two chairs, a phicus, three chairs. a receptionist desk with no receptionist and I don't think there was a computer and I'm like holy this is a, I think they're using this as a front

like you would never windows doors and glass doors and windows like you would never guess that underneath underneath our cells in an interrogation room which if you think about it makes sense

because we were like on foot we were five minutes from the train station so I'm pretty sure like in every major city they have these right for smugglers. So when you think about it, like, I guess they're like, okay, I guess that makes sense. So we turn the corner and I see our stuff in chairs.

And he's like, I'm going to do something I've never done. He's like, I'm going to let you guys go. He's like, here's your money. I had a thousand cash on me. He's like, here you go. Here's your stuff. You're asking where my duffel bag is? No, no.

Because it wasn't my life. He was like, now the state's going to contact you. In three months, he's like, he's. like they're going to go after you. He's like, so check your mail and, um, you know, make sure you respond appropriately because you don't want to get fucked and miss your date or whatever. Yeah. Get arrested, drive and get pulled over for a stop sign violation and get, have to go to prison. Exactly. And I was like, can we get our tickets back so I can get reimbursed? He's like, no, we've confiscated those for evidence. I was like, all right. He's like, all right. He's like,

all right. He's like, here's her money. How do I get back on the fucking train? He got to just pay for it? Yeah. And I, at that point, from thinking prison to going home, he was like, walk out that door, take it right, I think. And he was like, just keep walking about five minutes you'll be at the train station. I'm like she's like can I go to the bathroom? I'm like fuck no let's get out of here you know so we get our shit put it on and later walk out and we just and then when you walk

outside there's like other store there's like antique shops and stuff and you're like damn they don't even know who they're next to you know what I mean so it's kind of crazy that was trippy it actually makes me think like what other stuff that government it makes me men in black yeah I've never really seen it

you've never seen men in black I mean I know what it is you kind of go into a nondescript building And you get to an elevator and it goes way down to there's this entire labyrinth of offices and it's a huge department. I can tell you firsthand from that little spot, they exist. I hope it'll get snagged up for that. Anyways, so we book it back to the trade station. I was like, I just want to go home. So we go and we're like, fuck it.

We buy it. Excuse me, we're like, let's just go all out. So we buy another cabin. We're like, we're going to go out and get a cabin. We're not going to sit in regular seats. So we get the tickets. And we're headed back to Phoenix. And I'll never forget.

I was just so happy because I was going home. I thought, you know, I thought I was going to prison and now I'm going home. And what they did is part of your package is you got a free meal. Well, it's not free because you technically pay for it, I guess, you know. But they would pair you up with other people and you would have to end it together. And we got paired up with this old couple. And I'll never forget. I'm eating asparagus, steak, loaded baked potato.

I'm just like happy. You know, and the lady's like, well, we took pictures today and bought artifacts and went sightseying. She's like, how was your day? And I'm like, well, Gladys, let me tell you. We were derogated by the DEA. Close. I was like, we were taking a train of Pittsburgh. We got wrongfully accused of smuggling 45 pounds of grass.

I got a finger in my ass. Then they let us go and they're letting me go back home. And she's like, excuse me? I was like, Gladys and my girl was like, shut up, shut up. She's like, we had a long day. And I was like what she said. she never talked to us the rest of the meal. And we finished the meal and we get home.

And I just remember having like this big party. Hey, we're home, you know, I made it. And so life goes on. You know, we're going to school again. She went to ASU as well. And I'm going to school. And then life, like, it kind of like almost like forgot about it. Like, was that a bad dream?

Like, did that really happen? I get pulled up a train, you know, but underground. and then about three months passed, just like he said, and I get a letter in the mail, and it says State of New Mexico versus Jacob Smith. And they went after me. They didn't went after her. Right.

And I don't remember, but I just remember seeing like four big, bolded points. And I got, it was being charged with four felonies. It was 45 pounds of marijuana. That's what it came out to. I think it was like going across state lines, distribution and I think obstruction or something I don't remember but I know how ridiculous is or any of those like the most you can get me for is being in possession of 45 like you know the rest of those are all yeah if you know they whatever I did

dispute it where did I distribute it yeah well I guess it's in a bag you know they just throw shit to see what yeah that way they can go and say well we'll drop these three you plead to this one yeah so 100 percent so I end up This time I'm like, yeah, I'm not going to represent myself. I think I need a low hair on this. So I call Albuquerque. Are you going to say so? No.

So I, and I get a lawyer. Because I can't see, I can't think of Albuquerque without thinking of the Looney Tunes comic strip. But you don't know. This was an old old one. What? I don't know what you're talking about. Like the road run. Roadrunner and then.

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I know. He'd run through like, you know, I ran here and here. I stopped in Albuquerque. You know, they always talked through that in there. Anyway. I know the looted too. I didn't know that part.

I'm glad he didn't get, you know, taken off a train and snatched up front of me. Maybe the Wiley worked for the, I don't know. But, so I get a lawyer. Her name was, I'll never forget. Her name was Amanda. I don't know her last name. And she was Hispanic. And she's like, oh, this is racial profiling at its finest and this and that and blah, blah, blah.

And she's like, I'm going to help. you we're gonna win this this is gonna and I she's like this is gonna help my career and I don't know she she was pumping me up I'm like yeah I got me a good lawyer let's go so I had an arraignment so my girl and I we had you gave her 15,000 dollars and she said you should really just plead guilty no no no that typically the way it goes you know what honestly I was thinking about this I was I was coming I don't even remember she gave I think she didn't do a pro bono but I think she gave me like a discount or something what did you pay I don't remember I don't remember I don't remember was it

I don't, I don't. I can. You would remember if it was 50,000. You know, it wasn't nothing like that. No, I usually have a great memory, but I don't know. She didn't do it free, but it was something low because I remember she wanted to take it on because she heard the story. And I thought she thought it would, you know, would help her. I don't know. I don't know. But this is the thing, though. So I show up, we, my girl and I go back to Albuquerque. Now, luckily, her friend had just moved there. So we had a place to stay. We definitely weren't taking the train back. So we ended up driving there.

and I show up to my arraignment and people would probably say well when weren't you texting her back then I don't know if you'd know this or not because you used to have to pay for text messages if you went over are you aware of that so now what year was this?

This was 2010 I think yeah 2010 so before unlimited messaging came you would get like 200 text messages a month and if you went over it was like $0.25 cents a message I once had like $1,100 phone bill and I paid it

I was like, I don't want to deal with that again. And then shortly after they came up with the limited texting. So it's not like I could have just been blowing her up, right, during this time. So I'm calling her and she's not answering. And then finally, you know how they call your name out, Jacob, whatever. And it's this young guy. I'll call him Chad. I don't know.

And he's like, you're Jacob Smith. I'm like, yeah. He's like, hey, I'm here for Amanda. She can't make it. I'm like, what? And he was like, she has a big case right now. I'm like, I am the big case. Like, what?

You know, our priority. What? He's like, don't worry. we got you um i just remember him saying something like we've already kind of worked out a deal this is first appearance anyway so yeah yeah that's not a big deal exactly but i for me though yeah yeah you're yeah i understand your your state of mind is like i've been talking to her you don't know anything and he was like he was like i'm her junior associate like and this guy looked like he just got the the law his law degree like yesterday like i just was like on foot but yeah you're right it was like

first appearance but he's like oh we already talked to the prosecutor he's like he's like we got something for you. He's like three and out. And I'm like three and out what? He's like three and a half years prison and then you're out. I'm like, what? I'm like, no, man. I got a class next week. I go to A and C. I was like, this isn't happening. He's like, you completed. I'm like, no. No. Yeah. And he was like, it's like three baseball seasons. I'm like, this ain't a few good men. Like, don't be playing with my life here. I was like, no, especially not with Amanda here, you know? So I said, I'm not guilty.

So I'll never forget. His name is Judge Whitaker. He was like a strong, stern black judge, like, didn't play, you know. And he, like, demolished the guy before me. And I was like, oh, shit. So I go up there and I'm all standing. I got a parade arrest, you know, military and everything. Yes, sir. And, you know, and I don't know how he knew this stuff about me.

But he's like, I understand you're a veteran. Thank you for your service. I also understand you're attending Arizona State University. He's like, I am going to allow you to go back and stay in Arizona. I didn't even know they were going to try to keep me in New Mexico. He's like, I'm going to allow. you to go back to Arizona, go to school, just, you know, stay in touch with your lawyer, and don't miss any court dates.

He was like, okay, yes, sir. Oh, I'm like, yes, sir, you know. And he was like, by the way, before I leave, you know, and he's like, I'm like, yes, sir. He was like, I need you to do a book and release down at the county jail. I'm like, yes, sir. And I'm sure you know what book releases, right? It's like. Yeah, they're going to process you and take your photograph, take your fingerprints.

Yeah. Maybe make you do a piss test and they'll, so they got you all on file. and give DNA. So I'm thinking like, oh, in and out, wrong. So I tell my girl, we had to go to the county jail before we go. And I remember driving opposite of her friend's house. So we were like on the other side of town, I guess. And I remember it being kind of remote.

And we pull up to the county jail. And I'll never forget this experience. I walk in, I have my paperwork. And luckily for me, I remember going through it, the CEO, I think you want to call him. He ended up being private prior service too. A lot of thing about like, you know, prison guards and cops, a lot of them are like prior service. So like we kind of have that connection. And he was really cool with me.

He was like, oh, you're going back home. He's like, don't worry. I'm going to get you in and out of here. You know, you look really young. You shouldn't be in this place anyways. And he looks at my paperwork. He's like, oh, shit, you really about that. And I'm like, no, I'm in a city.

You know, he's like, yeah, we all are. And he puts me in, and then I go to the cell. And this was crazy. I sat in the center with my back against his cell. I could see everything. The corners were like dark. I didn't want to go to the corners. They had like the little brick wall over there with the toilet.

You know, he kind of like, half C, whatever. And I'll never forget, I'm just sitting there. And a guy walks in and like, B-lines it to the toilet. And he's like sweating and he's defecating. I find out drugs. Right. Another guy comes in, goes over there. He's like, did you get it out?

He's like, yeah. He pulls, I don't know, where it? He pulls out a syringe. I'm like, I thought they checked you when he came in, you know? Right. he's like all right let's get ready and he's about to go down for some time I know I guess they wanted to get high you know and I'm watching this and I'll never forget he's like oh man you broke it you broke it he's like what are we gonna do and out of like the crevices of the darkness shadows in the corner a little crackhead walks out and he's like oh I can fix that for you just let me let me see that just give me some

he's like all right so that they he fixes it and they and I just watched them again now I just came from court so I'm wearing dress sues jeans a sweater vest tie in a shirt you know I'm just like I'm standing out like a story though I'm like I don't blog here and I'm just watching this guy they're getting high over there and then eventually they come and they're like Smith I'm like right here and I got out of there and they to their credit they got they got me in and out in and out in like four hours by the way in New Mexico I was there for about four hours too in underground right so it was about four hours um so they got me out and I'll never forget I was leaving when I walked out of the jail there was like

one or two cars left and one car was leaving. It was my girl. I'm not lying. I was like, way, I'm here. I'm trying to turn my phone on, you know, and it was getting dark. And she turned around and got me. And she was like, I was about to go back to so-and-so's house. I was like, no, I'm done. Let's go home. So we go back home. And this is where it starts to get interesting is because as time starts to progress, I get a call from my lawyer. I'm like, hey, they want to offer you two and a half years. And I'm like, two and a half years, I'm like, no. You know, more time goes by. And I don't remember, but I just remember time was going by. And she's like, hey, they want to offer you a year and a half.

I'm like, no. And then finally that she's like, hey, they want to offer you, time goes by 12 months. No, they offered me a year. And she's like, it's just one year. One year, that's it. And I was like, no. And then they offered me 12 months supervised probation. And I'm like, what's going on, Amanda?

Yeah, you're not understanding that this is not my dope. Yeah. I'm not going to plead guilty. I'd rather go to fucking trial. There's no way you can connect me to that bag. My girl's going to say it wasn't my bag. She hasn't been charged. Yep.

Like, you just don't want to, what do you want to spend a day convincing 12 people that this wasn't me? They have nothing that ties me to this. And I'll get to that sake. You're 100% right. But, you know, you never know what happens. And so she's like, well, an interesting chain of events has been happening.

All the prosecutors have been passing on their case. No one wanted to take it. And I was like, what's going on? And she's like, well, the camera that took your guys' picture malfunctioned, so they don't have your pictures anymore. The tickets that placed you on the train that they confiscated have gone missing, so they can't legally place us on the train. And she said, and my favorite one, is half of the 45 pounds of marijuana has gone missing from the evidence room. And you can't make this up. I'm like, what?

I was like. I'm more, if I'm more ready to go to trial now than I've ever was ever. Yeah. So I was like, oh, my God, Amanda, I was like, we got to put in motions for a dismissal, you know? And she's like, yeah, 100%. And I had a date coming up and everything. And I have to go back to New Mexico. Finally, I get a date. And we showed up. And I was feeling confident. And she was like, oh, we got this. We put in four motions for a dismissal. One was for the tickets, because they can't place this on the train. Half of the weed. is missing so there's no way they can even I guess they would have to bring new charges right well they have to bring all the evidence has to appear in court you have to be able to bring everything in and put it on the fucking put it on the unless it's unless it's a you know unless it's an entire you know whatever you know cargo or

truckload or something where they can't physically bring it in they still have to bring in some of it they still have to show we still have it in the whatever but that yours is it's half of it's even gone yeah 100% First of all, real quick, I mean, we get back to the motions, is first of all, like, that, it sounds to me like it's either corruption, pure corruption in that department or incompetency in either way I should walk. So, sorry, go ahead. No, you're fine.

And I'll get to. The motions, sorry. Yeah, the motions. So we put in a motion for the tickets being missing, half the weed being missing, the bag, not having a tag on it, saying it's even ours. they found it with the other bags. And then I think the last one was like their witness. One thing they said that at any time the agents and their witness could show up to testify to any of the, and they never did.

Yeah. So I felt like those were strong. Especially the first three. First of all, their witness may be an 85-year-old man with cataracts. And really, if we just push this, if we just push this off long enough, he'll die. Yeah, yeah. He's not going to show up at all these. He's going to die.

You can wheel them in in a wheelchair. And he's probably. I think that was him, you know, because this was, of course, I'll get to that second, like three years. But so, and it's Judge Whitaker still. And he was actually being cool at first. He was like, hey, hey, Smith. And I was like, oh, okay, we got a good report, I thought, you know.

And just denied, denied, denied, denied. He denied all four of the motions. And I was just like, like, what? No way. Like I looked at Amanda. And he looks at the prosecutor. And he goes, and she was like some young female prosecutor. And he was like, the trial will.

start next week as scheduled or whatever, or that's what he was going to set it out for a week. He's like, but prosecutor, you better come with something new or I'm going to dismiss it. And I was like, that felt good to hear, you know. And she was like, oh, don't worry, Your Honor. We'll have something. And I'm like, so we storm out of there.

I storm out of there because I'm P.O. And I go and my lawyer, Amanda stays back. And I'm in the corridor with my girl. And I'm just like pacing. And she comes out. I'm like, Amanda. I was like, I'm tired of driving back. forth here. You said we were going to win and this or that. She's like, I just talked to the

prosecutor. She's like, they're going to offer, they want to offer you 12 months on supervised probation. She's like, you can stay in Arizona. She's like, this can end today. You call in once. But you're still, you're still pleading guilty to you a felony. Exactly. So she was like, and you call in once a month and, you know, it's unsupervised. And I look at her and she's like, and think about this, Jacob, if you go, when you go to trial next week, if you don't win. She's like the three and a half years was a plea deal. If you lose, you're going to get, you know, more time. You know, like, you're probably going to look at, you're probably looking at four or five years in jail possibly. Yeah. So I thought about that. I looked at Amanda and I was like,

what have I been saying since day one, Amanda? Like, I'm not guilty and I'm going to fight this till the end. And I was like, you go tell her no, no deal. She looked at me and she was like, all right, you know, I wanted to tell her like, you're the best lawyer ever. We got this. you know but no so she she goes in there and tells them whatever and my girl and i leave we go back i'll never forget i saw the prosecutor story about she looked kind of bad so that kind of made me happy and um my girl and i drive back home and i'm like contemplating the whole time like should i call change my mind i'm thinking about my future i'm thinking of my son like why why risk it is it and i like you know stand your ground you know you know what's true and you know stand your ground and um

we get home and uh a week passes by and I'll never forget, I was loading up the car, you know, cliche, putting stuff in the trunk, and my girl's walking out, and I get a call, my phone's going off, and I look, it's Amanda, and she's like, Jacob? And I'm like, yeah, and I, she sounded like, and I was like, kind of startled me, you know, and she's like, did you leave yet? And I'm like, no. And she's like, don't come. She's like, Judge Whitaker just dismissed her case without prejudice. And I think I dropped on my knees and it's like, oh, thank you God, you know. I was like, well, what does that mean, actually? And she's like, wow, they legally have five years to bring back charges or, you know, put a case together if they, if they wanted to.

And she's like, but the prosecutor already assured me that they have enough on their plate. Yeah. It sounds like they got. To me, it sounds like they had nothing. But I was like, oh, all right, thank you, man. Well, they probably was doing that because they're thinking if they catch somebody else in six months and he says, yeah, you, matter of fact, I had a mule that was working for him. You even arrested him. His name was Jacob Smith.

And you dropped the charges against that they'd be like, boom, charge Jacob Smith again. and bring them back. We got a witness. This guy's going to tie him in with his hole. You see him saying? I never even thought of that. Yeah. They don't want to just say,

you know, they don't want to say with prejudice, which means you're not allowed to bring the charges back. They want to leave that open just in case. What if we grabbed somebody else that he says, man, I've been shipping people.

I can give you a guy right now. You guys had nothing on him. You dropped it. But you could have been somebody to get out of jail free ticket, but, you know. 100%. I mean, you couldn't because you're not guilty.

But I'm saying in their mind, they're thinking we could get, we may be able to wrap him up still. Yeah. Yeah. I never even thought of that. How long the statute of limitations is probably only five years anyway. Well, they told me at three.

They told me five years from that date. Right. So this was January 2013. So I was happy, but like I didn't know if they were going to pull any shenanigans. But five years came and went. January 2018 came. Statue of limitations was up. And, um.

Yeah, that would have haunted you, bro. You would have every job. you would have gone to everybody you know if you wanted to be a lawyer you're not being a lawyer yeah if you wanted you know it would it would have been a major problem it would have been a thorn in your side for the rest of your life that charge thinking to yourself oh fuck it i'll just sign and i'll call in for the next 12 months it'll be over no yeah yeah that would have haunted you there i know guys that have stuff this 10 15 years old 20 years old they pled guilty to a felony that was a joke and they only pled because they brought them the offer.

And if they probably could have gotten it thrown out completely. And they thought, oh, well, it didn't matter. Just six months. It's not six months. It's your future. Yeah. Yeah. So what were all the costs associated with this whole, that whole process?

Like, I only had to pay the lawyer. I didn't have to pay. Which apparently was so little you don't even know. Yeah, I know. Yeah. And like how much time? Eight hours. Yeah.

You did a total of eight hours in custody or waiting to be in custody. Yeah. Yeah. hours and I found I found that was you know in the grand scheme I think not a lot right but when you're in the moment and over time though and you have that head over your head yeah when's it's it's going to end when's it's going to end my future like you said I mean this process was so long remember I started college like January 2010 I graduated 2000 December 21st 2012 the day the Mayans predicted the world would end also let me get my degree first because

remember I went to summer I got it in three years and then they The case ended in January 2013. So I literally started and finished college during this whole process. That's all, you know, and the whole time it's just hanging over me, you know. And so all the costs associated with driving there, staying in hotel, staying with friends, doing all the gas, whatever, mileage. So would you say what under about five? This costs you about five grand, under 10, what?

Under five, for sure. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. Still, the stress. The stress is, you know, everything. Yeah. One thing, though, about the agents, though, I. found out because they never even showed up too and i think that's what pissed them off um one like

retired and like one got relocated so like they never even showed up again ever again so i never seen them again and they were originally pushing for you to do three years no the deal that my lawyer offered me was three and a half the deal the plea deal the first initial plea deal is three and a half years and he was like just yeah just signed it three and you're out he's like three and out that's what he said i was like get the out of here I was like, you know, people that have time, you know. These lawyers, they're not incentivized. Like, if you, like, they're not incentivized to try to win for you, really.

Like, once you. Matter of fact, it works. Did they're the least, the less time they put into your case, the more money they make. Yeah. They're incentivized to try and convince you to plead guilty as quickly as possible. That is a very quick, fast process. Yeah. They go to trial.

They have to dump a ton of time into research, into spending several days, front of the courtroom going to multiple different hearings plus all the research that they have to go through that's why a lot of these guys who do go to trial they'll tell you like my lawyer went to trial like bro this guy was he didn't know anything he got out there he's talking about stuff

he doesn't know he's saying stuff like he's a complete he was a complete clown I pay this guy 20 grand because there's no incentive for him to really be prepared yeah what so it let's just say someone gets tied up in something like this like what's a and they need to win this

case. Like, is there a certain pay structure that they can do to help incentivize a lawyer? You would think that you would go in and be able to say, look, I'll give you 10 grand. And if you win at trial, I'll give you another 10 grand. Because luckily, in the state, the lawyers don't cost an arm in the leg. You said if you had to go to a federal lawyer, they'd be like, okay, I need 50,000 up front. If we go to trial, you'd be like, fuck. Are you joking?

And they'd be like, no. Unless maybe they were new and. desperate, they might have wanted 25,000. When I was looking at lawyers for my federal case, my first federal case, because the second one, they took all my money. But the first one, I still had some of that money. So in the first one, when I interviewed three different lawyers, the first lawyer wanted $15,000. She was a, she had just retired, well, sorry, retired, whatever. She just left the U.S. Attorney's Office. She had been a U.S. attorney for 10 years. and she wanted 15 grand because she had just started her practice.

But I sat down with her and we talked and I felt so uncomfortable with her. She was so serious and so like she's not joking around. She had no personality at all. And I remember when we walked out of there, I was like, I don't feel good about that lady. And my brother-in-law went with me. He's a lawyer. So he went with me and he was like, Yeah, the guy that didn't, you know, she, but apparently she was a good U.S. attorney.

I feel like she's still a U.S. attorney. Like, that's how she was like, look at the whole time. She's like, and you did what? And you did what? Well, it sounds to me like you're guilty. Like I think your best bet is to, and I'm sitting there thinking to myself like, and I was guilty, but I don't need the judgment asshole. You know what I'm saying?

Yeah, yeah. She was a jerk the whole time. She's like, well, this could happen. This could happen. And it was just like, just bad vibes. The next person was like, well, if I took you on as a client, it'd be 50 grand. If it went to trial,

it'd probably be another couple hundred thousand. And I was like, and that guy didn't want to take the case because he knew my brother-in-law. And he said, if I plead you guilty and you do get jail time, I'm always going to be the guy that sent his brother-in-law to prison

because I didn't get you a good enough deal because I couldn't keep you out of prison because I honestly don't even want that. I don't want the case. He's like, you know, plus he was at the end of his bandwidth. He's like, I got a bunch of people. He'd give it to one of my, you know, know my guys that works for me I could supervise but honestly it was like a next guy I went to

actually was raised with his daughter he lived across the street for me his name was gary trombly and that was $75,000 and as soon as we paid the $75,000 it was well I was always going to take a plea I just basically wanted somebody to give me a plea that I didn't have to go to prison but initially he was like I'm going to do everything I can to keep you out of prison but yeah 75 grand just to plead guilty in the federal system so I could have gone but here's a thing the $15,000 woman

honestly was the better bet I probably should have gone with her and I probably could have she just wasn't personable now if it had been the state case you can pay a lawyer five grand 10 grand you can tell you want to go to trial for a week

20 25 a good lawyer $25,000. That's crazy. But you have to think, too, people don't understand that they get so overwhelmed and terrified and scared

and that they plead guilty to something that they didn't do. Luckily, 99% of the people that are pleading guilty to something that maybe they feel like they didn't do, and I'm not saying

that tons of people are pleading guilty to what they did do, but let's say the people that pled guilty to something they didn't do. 99% of those people are criminals to begin with. You know what I'm saying?

Like, yeah, I didn't do that, but I've been arrested. four times. I'm currently selling this. I'm currently running a lab making, you know, whatever, ice or something. You know, you caught me for this. Those drugs weren't mine, but I'll plead guilty to it because I'm also doing this and I don't want to have to pay you a bunch of money. And you see what I'm saying? Yeah, yeah. After 19 years, they're back. Frankie Munis, Brian Cranston and the rest of the family reunite in Malcolm in the middle, life's still unfair. After 10 years avoiding them, Hal and Lois demand Malcolm be at their anniversary party, pulling him straight back into their chaos.

Malcolm in the middle, life's still unfair. A special four-part event. Stream now on Hulu on Disney Plus. Be involved in the drug game in some way or another. Maybe they're pleading guilty to your drugs. I got pulled over and your drugs were in my car and you won't admit to it. And then you're now testifying against me. I'm going to plead guilty.

But the truth is I'm already in the game. You see what I'm saying? Yeah. You're just some guy who made them. mistake of stepping off of an Amtrak. Yeah, and the funny thing is... To get a slurpy or something with your girlfriend. Next thing, you know, you're in cops.

The funny thing is, we were talking about the case, like this story before you come here. And like, a lot of times, guys who get arrested, like, they're doing bad things. And they're all, they're like, and they got me for this. And I wasn't even doing that. And then Matt always goes like, well, yeah, you were doing this, though. Like, you were, you are a criminal. Like, you are doing these things. And, uh, they're always so indignant.

Like they're just they're just like they're like yeah but that cop lied he yeah but you're breaking into people's houses Like that kid he's a scumbag and he should play by the rules but you're acting like they fucking yanked you They pulled your car over and you were you were on your way to church and they threw you You're still guilty of something right that's what we say too it's like and I tell people be mindful of your surroundings because you could be going on vacation And like you're just saying it gets snagged up by the law you know get snatched up by the law it should just be careful of your surroundings I mean, you never know. So I tell people, you know, now that I'm older and like, no longer in my 20s, finished college, finish all that,

have another baby boy, he turns two next month, just starting to settle down. You know, like, just stay out of trouble, you know. Don't stay out past head. I was going to say you weren't in trouble. You were traveling on an Amtrak. Like, how is that trouble? With what sounds like 95% of the passengers are in their 70s.

Yeah, yeah, I get. And that's another thing, too. I always thought because the staff was, There was a lot of, I don't know. I thought it was probably someone on the staff. Oh, he thought of somebody on the staff. And it'd be easy for them. You know, I don't know.

That's what I always thought. But when they grabbed you, what you should have done was that, listen, I know how it looks, but honestly, it was that guy right there. We saw him put the bag in the, because somebody apparently did that to you. Oh, I saw him throw the bag in. That was his baggers. Was there really a witness? No, I guess.

I mean, that's what they were saying. Did they have it? Did you ever see a witness statement? No. No, no, that's what I was saying. Remember, I said that they said at any time they could show up and give a statement, but that never happened. I kind of assumed that maybe somebody did say that because a lot of people want to help the authorities. Well, remember, they were trying to have her lie too, so they could have been to making it up. I mean, yeah, I don't know.

I would have thought Amanda would have gotten a hold of any statements that had been made, because he had already said there was somebody. If there was somebody, then you have him somewhere, and Amanda should have gotten a copy of that statement. Yeah, not that they're going to go and they're going to go and now a month before trial, we're going to go and interview everybody that was on there. We're going to find somebody. No, they would have already had somebody. Yeah, I think they probably would have, because remember part of my initial thing was like, and your only witness is on a train leaving the state right now.

I think they would have got a statement then. Yeah, no, they're going to. I think they lie. Yeah, I think they obviously lie. They're just trying to intimidate you into saying. Listen, first of all, the DEA, and if there's anybody from the DEA, any agents listening. I'd like to let you know.

We'd love to have that. Well, one, we'd love to have you on, but the honest truth is, like, in the list of law enforcement agencies, you're like,

like, the red-headed stepchild. Like, they're horrible, like, it's the bottom of the barrel. D-E-A is the bottom of the barrel. You know,

that, and maybe, they may be tied with ATF. Like, they're, they're really just beat cops that are just little thugs that run around and Jay's just, you know, they're just, it's just like the worst of the agencies, not that the FBI's, the FBI and

Secret Service and Homeland Security is better. They're filled with more people that are more professional. Yeah. But ATF and DEA, like, they're basically like drug, drug cops that are like, they got a degree. And I'll never, I'll never forget what Amanda told me, because I was interested, like, well, how does half of 45 pounds go missing from the evidence room? And she said that wasn't uncommon in stuff like that. Yeah. So I guess they just take it, you know, and I was like, How they get away with that, you know, and they're just fucking up their own case, I guess. I don't know.

Well, they don't care. If they're doing that, that's their gig. Like, I'm working cases. People get people who go to plead guilty, but we also sell stuff out the back door, too. And we're offsetting our $110,000 a year, a government job with an extra $40,000 in stuff we sell out the back of the evidence locker. It's like they're selling it legally.

So has your opinion of the justice system changed? Yeah, what did you end up getting to your degree? I got my undergrad in criminal justice. Interesting enough. So I was more well versed by the time I was, you know what I mean? What are you going to do now? Well, at the time, I was going to go to law school. And then I was like, lawyers were a dime a dozen.

And then I went to get my MBA because I, as a young kid, I would, I started, my dad never bought me anything name brand. Right. You didn't even do that. So I started doing yard work. I started selling candy. I was selling so much candy. I had a little work.

And I'm like seven. I'm like in the seventh grade. You know, I had my friends working for me. So I always had that entrepreneurial mindset, entrepreneur mindset. And then I went and got my MBA. So I went and got my MBA instead of my law degree.

And then we had, my buddy and I ended up starting a photo booth business, you know, the weddings and everything. And as business started to pick up and the calendar was getting full, COVID happened and everything just went out the door. So to bring everything full circle, Arizona has now legalized recreational marijuana.

So I'm actually... No. No. You're just like Ian. Yeah. Yeah. It's a gold rush out there. So, but yeah. So you're, you got a business doing that? I'm working with my buddy on trying to get the licensing out there.

Honestly, honestly, listen, if I was going to do something, I would get my, my, I'd become a lawyer and be a criminal, criminal, like a criminal lawyer because honestly, you know, it's so funny once you kind of learn the system, it's such a joke. Like the lawyers are so incompetent that if you just were even, honestly, it's more about marketing yourself than anything. Like you can, you can make a ton of money as a lawyer. And honestly, you don't even have to do anything because 99% of these people are pleading guilty and they are guilty. And so you're really just walking in saying, hey, I'm representing Pablo here, Your Honor. Yeah, yeah. He's convicted with, or he's been, you know,

convicted of or caught with this much drugs, plus such, you know, you realize when you watch them, you're like, I was going to say, oh, you're just going through the fucking motions. It's a conveyor belt.

It is. It is. And then you go to the guy and you say, look, it's $10,000. And you can give me a $3,000 now. Oh, I don't have $3,000. Okay, well, I don't work for free.

I can give you a letter. I can give you the phone number to the public defender. And they'll be like, oh, no, no, no, no. But they'll start paying you. Yeah. They'll get you to $3,000.

They'll start making payments to you. And so, you know, you've constantly got people paying you money. Every once in while you get some dope dealer who walks in and gives you 20 grand down or 15 grand down. Yeah. And as a lawyer, once you've been in that environment long enough, you know how everything works. And it's just wheeling and dealing. It's very little to do with the law as much as just wheeling and dealing. So you end up just kind of being a broker for time for these guys.

And you can, as a criminal defense attorney in the state, you can easily make. a couple hundred thousand dollars a hundred percent yeah a year yeah and you have two years as you have a two-year law degree and you're basically like a used car salesman just kind of like here's where i can get you i talked to so-and-so and did you know these guys make a ton it's it's a it's a it's a license to print money it's ridiculous yeah so i didn't i thought about it but like the paperwork and stuff i was like i don't know i hate i hate that i know i did you see him walk in a court with the all that paper that paperwork.

Oh, that's all from somebody. That's nothing to do with you. You know what I'm saying? Like, they're such liars. But anyway, it's all blank. Yeah.

I was going to tell you was the photo booth thing. Listen to this. I don't know. Where did I hear this? There was, and I thought about doing this. I thought, if you had a,

let's say someday we actually rent us, we actually get out of my living room. We actually do a studio. Yeah. Like we actually said, fuck it. Let's just go rent a place for 500 bucks a month, you know,

or 1,000, whatever. And how, you know what, There was a guy that built the inside of a, like a, the inside of like, and it's only half of like a Lear Jet. Yeah. The inside of a jet for people to come. And for like an hour, you can rent it for like a hundred bucks. You can come take tons of photos of you inside the jet.

You know what they do, right? They just, they stick the camera, the lap or whatever they're using in there. That's what we had to. Oh, yeah. Oh, okay. So it looks like you're inside of some Lear Jet and, and you're, like, what? Like, what a fucking racket. Like, that's awesome.

Yeah. Oh, they got creative. We went to, I mean, we had like, ours, ours was $10,000. Like, it was top of the line. Big mistake. It's, you know, now that you learn, you know, it's, marketing is where it's at, right? Right.

But anyways, I mean, you would go to events and, like, people would have, like, the hippie vans and you'd go in there and they'd have, like, the chairs and the pillows, and they'd have, like, the camera all set up and everything. And that's how they had their setup. I mean, it was, like, ridiculous. And they were, I mean, it was lucrative, because once you buy, the booth and everything, like you're, you're just getting,

you're paying for film and, you know, you just have to advertise it. Or digital, I mean, yeah, you're advertising. Yeah, not film, I'm sorry, because it's digital. You can literally, like, put in their number and it'll send it directly to your phone. You can put it in Instagram, it'll send it directly to your Instagram. I mean, it was crazy what you could do with that stuff. Yeah, there's no cost other than just showing up and letting him use the facility.

It's funny. You say that because I was sitting here thinking, I was sitting here thinking while you guys are talking, like, yeah, you can build a box. Like I got, because I just saw, see something on Facebook the other day, like a colored box. and they just take photos in it. It's like, they get creative too because with ours, I was like, man, this is cool. And then like when we found out how to use it, oh, it's just a camera, a Canon camera up there.

They placed inside it. You know, that's all it is really. You can put it in anything. I was going to say, you know, the, so you know James, my buddy James from Las Vegas. Yes. So he rents a studio, right? But the studio, the guy has,

he has like six. different sets. So he has one that looks like you're, it's kind of like you're in like a really frou-frew girl's bedroom. Like, I mean, like, you know, it's got little pillows everywhere and it's pinkish and beige and it's got little. So it's for women, the girls that want to do

like the makeup videos and stuff. Cameras all set up, but, you know, of course, it's just one corner of the room that's built out with all this different furniture and stuff. He's got another one that's more of a business type setting. He's got another one that's like the Joe Rogan kind of podcast thing. He's got all,

this is all he does. And he gives, he has packages. Of like 400 bucks. You get this many videos, this much editing, this much time. And he does the whole thing for you for,

you know, whatever, $500 a month, you get this much. And if it goes over, you get this much. And it gets, you know,

that sort of thing. That's James's business. No, no, goes there. James goes, goes with, is with this guy.

And he runs it. And it's funny because when I went there, I was walking through the place. I said, bro, I said, I've thought about this exact, I've always wondered

why doesn't anybody do this? And he's like, listen, it's, it's doing great. He said, what we're mostly churning out. I said, how many people are doing it? I guess the way I look at it is this. People are going to come in. They're going to do, because everyone wants to be a start of YouTube channel, right? They all think they're going to blow up.

I have a great idea. Okay. I'm amazing. It's going to be amazing. Okay. And then what they do is they come in and they do it for three months. So you're like, look, you don't have the cameras. We have low-end cameras.

Man, they're seven hundred bucks. We got how many, we got four of them. Like, this setup is five. brand, right? Just for the junk. All the equipment. Just the equipment. So to see if it's going to do okay, do I pay for three months with this guy and give him $1,500 or $2,000 and get myself every week I get a one-hour podcast that I can put up. And if I'm amazing, then most people think in three months, you know, three months you don't

know shit. Yeah. Nobody's still watching in three months. So you've got to go years. Yeah. But so I was telling him, like I was thinking that. I said, and I figured, okay, well, you get him sign a call. contract for 90 days and then they come in they do it and then if it that we can continue or

you can just buy your own equipment and set your thing up in your spare room so but I and I've never seen it though and this guy had the whole thing and honestly it was a great setup here and he was telling me I'm he's I'm doing great like I've thought about doing something similar but it's like Vegas is such a big market you'd have to do it in Tampa you know what I mean yeah yeah you have to be in Tampa because that's where all it's the closest thing we got to yeah yeah yeah he'd have to do in Tampa or Orlando. But yeah, you have that.

And then you have it set up, you have it set up, they pay the standard fee. And then it's like you can do the, you can up charge for editing. Of course. You can up charge for like, hey, like, look, we've, we know how to run a successful podcast. Like we've done all this. Like, we'll do everything for you for the premium. Yeah. Well, he, and you know who does that kind of.

Ian kind of does that. Ian's, Bill. Ian Bick has built out an entire studio of sets and everything. and he does all the editing. When I was there, like a year or so ago, he was doing the, he was giving packages to local business owners where it's like they come in

and he interviews them and then he cuts it up where he cuts himself out. And they just, so they're just telling, they're like little TikToks and stuff, you know. But it was a whole thing. And this guy's doing the same thing. He has the same thing as the upgraded packages

or special packages for your business. If you're a lawyer, if you're this, if you're that. So, yeah, I always thought that would be good. So, well, it just made me think of it when you mentioned that you had the photo thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That would have been an extension of that. Yeah. And, but, um, I just lock my train off. What, what's, but,

but, but now you're doing, yeah, go ahead. Yeah, so I'm trying to get, to bring it full circle. Oh,

yeah, have to go through, going through all that. Um, Arizona, finally a couple years ago, rec, uh, became,

oh, the recreational, yeah. Oh, yeah. You want to hear something, I think it's, they're a channel to,

do that too. Say it. There are channels that do that too. They talk about like, they do a whole channel based on just different types of bud, different types of powder, the products, everything. Yeah. Yeah. But you said there's YouTube channels. Yeah. Did I do that? I don't know. Yeah. But there's also, there's a, who knows what the, it's still marketing too. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Who knows with the, like, the, not that you'd be going viral for that anyways, but the monetization side of it is a little iffy. Because that, like, I'm like, when I'm searching up stuff for like ads, is this safer ads. I've seen those type of channels and like those people are talking about it because

it's like all they talk about. So they're like, yeah, you can and can't talk about certain things. Yeah, I'm not sure how they get monetized. Yeah. It's like it might just like they may make money from selling their product and stuff like that. They might not make money from their ads. Yeah, the problem with that business is it's marketing. It's still just you're going to have to just be an amazing marketer to get make money because there's so many people that are. There's so many people that are making that are in that business. Well, that's the good thing about dispensaries is like people, everyone smokes weed, right? So, like, they'll just map a shop and go to the near shop.

Because, like, what I was getting at is there's so many dispensaries out there. It's ridiculous. Like, there's enough for everybody to eat, you know? And I'll never forget when they had brought it up, I think it was $25,000 because they had to enter the raffle to get a license. I believe it was 25K. It was 25K. And that was to enter the raffle. So if you lose, then you lose your 25 grand map?

You get zilch. Well, check this out. I went to, I don't know if it was a board meeting or whatever. I went to one. It was on a, it was on a webcam. And I put in, I was like, you know, I propose that we have at least one for $5,000 to give like the little guy a shot. And it got passed.

So whoever got their license for five grand, you're welcome because I proposed that and it got passed. So someone got a license out there, like the golden ticket, right? That's what it was. And what you got to do is put five, you get five of your buddies to sign up. So you skew the odds and give each one of them five grand. You got a much better chance now. Yeah, you have five entries. I'm sure that I'm, you know, well, now like, so my buddy that I'm getting with, he's worked away from the office up there now.

And I guess they're buying other place. like they're literally just buying everybody out like um dispensers they're they're buying all like the they're not i mean everyone's making money but like they're buying the little ones so they have like so many stores now and it's just it's just blowing it's blowing out buying out the competition i'm just like that or you got to set fire to their buildings i'm sorry oh i didn't say that out loud sorry yeah so to bring it full circle of my story and then to get into the marijuana industry legally i think it's kind of ironic but um yeah so and this time I don't have to worry about being wrongfully accused or anything because it's legal.

Because this time the marijuana in the bag will be yours. Yeah, yeah. I actually have a one more quick marijuana story if you guys want to hear. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you want to hear it? Yeah, yeah. Okay, I know, right. You think I would stay away from it. So, again, this is back into ASU.

Or no, this was after college. But I went to, I went through, so that girl I was with, we actually broke up. Right. And I messed up. At the time, I was just really, really, really a bad person. But what do you do when you break up and you're in Arizona? You go to Tijuana. So my buddy, my partner to the guy I'm talking about with him and I went to Tijuana.

I had the time of my life, okay? And this, don't believe in the media, because this is when they were saying, don't go down there. They're chopping heads off and this and that. We went down there. They were like, oh, come on, VIP. You know, I had the time of my life. come back

we went again and then as I was going to Tijuana the second time with the group of people we stopped at a gas station and the clerk was like oh you should go to Mejkelly she's like it's closer it's fun it's better and this and that

don't ever listen to the gas clerk you know and I'm young and naive and I was like all right I'll keep that we keep that in mind so I go to we go to Tijuana and then we come back and then next week my buddy and I we go to

mehkelly and we take take my buddy's car, who was a pothead, and we take his car, he had his medical card, and we drive to Mexico, and as soon as we pull up to the hotel, the car dies, and him and I get out. His name was Dominique, and you know, you can imagine what he looked like, you know, but he's like my best friend, one of my best buddies. And we go in the hotel, we were kind of like bummed. I was like, listen, we're going to be bummed because this car's dead, or we can go party and worry about this in the morning. It's like dark outside. You can't really see nothing. He's like, let's call

party and obviously you know I was putting the bill so we went partied go to bed wake up the next day the sun comes out and just so happened right across the street was a mechanic so it's like oh sweet so we took the car over there they rigged they don't know what they did but they got it they got it run into the car starts we go to the border and when we get to the border we went to the wrong lane that was my fault i went to the passport lane and we pulled through and they're like pull over and we're doing an inspection. So we get out of the car, my buddy and I, he's all wearing a wife beater. You know, he has like, you know, his hair up. And I was like, Dominie, I don't know what's going on. And they checked the car. And again, it was my buddy's car. And he had, he was a huge pie. He still

is, I think. And he would just throw like, I guess his seeds on the floor. Right. So they came and they're like, oh, they're pushing away. By the way, the Mexicans were cool. When we went into Mexico, they saw the seed, they saw weed in their, like the seeds, you know, they like, they're like, mota, mota. And I'm like, no, it's not mine. All right, go. And they let us go. U.S., they're like, they're pushing drugs. They're trying to bring it back, this and that. And I'm like, again, young and naive. And I'm like, no, you got the wrong person. I was like, I just got my degree of justice and this is that. They're like, we're going to search the car. So they put, they put us in this little cage with other people and they're searching these cars. It's on my Instagram, too.

And I'm like, they got us in the cage. They'll make, they got us. And, and they, they got us. And this was my fault because they were like because I was kind of talking back to them what you should have do and I'll never forget she was like they take me because they take me in and they make him sit down I'm like why doesn't he have to go?

So they take me to the cell and this is after everything had happened already with the whole DA and everything so they put me in a cell I was like I already know the process just please use one finger and I started pulling my pants down he's like well what do you do it? Pull your pants up he was like I'm just doing a pat

and I was like you can't you know So I was going to do it out there. So they pat me down. And then they bring me back out. And the sergeant comes, like the main guy in charge. Because I was like, oh, you can't do this. Blah, blah, blah, blah. And he was like, oh, you got your degree in criminal justice.

He's like, well, then you should know I could keep you for 48 hours. So I advise you keep him out shut. And I was like, yes, sir. You know? And the female comes in and she's like, she has a little bag. She's like, we found it. 0.5 gram marijuana. And she was like, is that enough to push it?

And he looks, he's like, yeah, let's push it. Write up the paperwork. And I was like, you got to be kidding me. I should have killed my mouth shut. So they then take me to a little office, and there's another guy. And I was like, they're like, if you sign this paper right now, you know, we'll let you go and everything. And I was like, I'm not signing nothing. He's like, if you don't sign it, or no, he said, if you sign it right now, you're getting charged for $5,000.

You're going to be fined $5,000. I was like $5,000 for 0.5 grams. He's like, but if you sign this paper, you only have to pay 500. I'll get mitigated to 500. I was like, I'm not signing nothing. And he was like, fine, then we'll confiscate the car. I was like, all right, where do I sign? So, but I wasn't getting charters or anything.

It was just a fee, right, you know what I mean? Right. So I signed it. I signed it. I signed it. I signed it. He's like, all right, here's your keys. Get out of here.

Was that yours or Dominix? The what? You said it was a little bit of week. So remember, it was my buddy's car. Not Dominic. It was my buddy, Justin, I'm sorry, to be confusing. He wasn't on the trip with us. We took my roommate's car, Dominique and I.

And he, I was like, he has his marijuana card, so he would just throw, like, seeds on the floor. And it's got a savage? Like, I don't understand the seeds thing. Why you throw them outside? Like, what? Yeah, that's another story. But, and the reason why I got hit with it is because Arizona is a driver's state,

who's ever behind the wheel, no matter what is that fault. So, and I'm not. never forget. So then I signed in, oh, yeah, you're just getting hit with a fine, that's it. You just pay it and that's it. And I was like, all right, okay, cool. It's not like I haven't been here before. So we drive off. They gave us the keys. I get out here. So we drive off. It was only like an hour and a half probably. And we start driving. And I'll never forget. Before we had went to the border, Dominique said, hey, let's switch. I was like, no, let's switch after the border. I swear to

God. And he had said that he's like, and he was like, you should let me drive. I was like, Tom, if you were driving, you're going to be in Gitmo right now. You're like, yeah, I drove, okay? And we drove home and the car died when we got home as soon as it, and it never started again. My buddy, it never started again. I'll tell you, I think God'd be watching after me. And then when I filed my taxes, they, they took the 500 out of there. And that was it. So, yeah. I feel like the comments will say, like, oh, this guy's doing medical now. He got tripped up in Mexico. It probably was his. But that would probably be at the very, yeah,

they didn't have to watch a whole video. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. There might be some comments saying that. It's always interesting. But I didn't specifically ask. I said, so the bag wasn't yours. You were like, no, it wasn't mine. Yeah.

So what would you say to the people that in the comments if they are and they don't believe you? Right. Yeah, what if people think it's your? What's like another phrase like, you know how they say life imitating art? Something like that, like the irony of it all, right? Right. Being wrongfully accused, this hanging over my head for so many years.

And then to beat the case. And then fast forward years later, marijuana, we've moved a lot forward in time in our country about, you know, legalizing drugs. And now that it's fully legal, recreational, at least in my state, the irony thing is after being in trouble for it. For it. Now I get to do it legally and make money off of it, you know. But the irony is that you had been, you were almost convicted of it. And you hadn't done anything. 100%.

Right. And now I'm actually doing something, but when I'm doing it, it's legal. 100%. Yeah. Hey, you guys, I appreciate you watching. Do me a favorite if you like the video, hit the subscribe button, hit the bell so you get notified of videos like this. Also, we're going to leave Jacobs, links in the description box.

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