About the Podcast

Under the cover of running medical marijuana grow houses, a group of college friends trafficked thousands of pounds of pot out of state for sale on the black market—and raked in cash. A lot of cash. So much that they threw trash bags of money with GPS trackers off cliffs in the Rocky Mountains with the hope of picking them up later. When a drug mule flipped, the whole scheme came tumbling down. SWAT team officers and DEA agents kicked down the doors of 32 members of the ring around Denver. In the ensuing plea deals and manhunts the Feds realized that the smugglers had redefined what it means to be a criminal in the era of legal weed and that the marijuana black market is not just evolving, but bigger than ever.

About the Host

Chris Walker

Chris Walker is an award-winning freelance journalist based in Denver, Colorado. Prior to April 2019, he was a staff writer for Denver's alternative weekly, Westword, where he specialized in narrative long-form stories. Those ranged from investigative pieces about immigration detention and police surveillance to more adventurous dives into Denver’s secret LSD laboratories during the 1960s and how “pirate DJ"s in the Rocky Mountains have been taking on the F.C.C. with illegal radio broadcasts. His reporting has spanned four continents for publications including The Atlantic, Playboy, the Atavist Magazine, VICE, NPR, Rock and Ice, Forbes, and LA Weekly – among others. Walker’s website, list of journalism awards, and more of his work can be found at www.chrisallanwalker.com. Some of his lauded work can be found in the links below

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