How cartel drug smuggling actually works, according to a former trafficker

Jacob Diaz began working within Mexican drug trafficking networks at just 18 years old. After surviving a childhood of extreme poverty and being abandoned by his mother, he rose from a homeless teenager to a core operator running logistics and transit lines between Mexico and the United States. For seven years, Diaz managed complex smuggling operations, coordinated stash houses, and routed millions of dollars in cartel cash before a federal conspiracy conviction landed him in prison.

Diaz speaks with Business Insider about the strict logistics of smuggling drugs and cash across the US-Mexico border, the strategic recruitment of drivers, and the realities of distributing cocaine. He details the friction of living a double life, the dangers of navigating Mexico's violent turf wars during the late 2000s, and the deep, lasting psychological toll of his early life.

Following his release from federal prison in 2018, Diaz founded My Credit Builder Pros, a credit counseling and financial literacy business.

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