How a Mormon Kid From Texas Became a Mexican Cartel Sicario

How a Mormon Kid From Texas Became a Mexican Cartel Sicario

From The Connect- with Johnny Mitchell by Johnny Mitchell

August 23, 2026 · 1h 47m · Episode 247

About this episode

Tyler shares his journey from a strict Mormon upbringing in Texas to becoming involved in cartel-related crime and the psychological toll it took on him.

From a strict Mormon upbringing in Texas to the violent world of cartel-connected crime, Tyler’s story is one of the wildest we’ve heard. In this episode, Tyler explains how he went from being a high school kid making money transporting drugs to working around human-smuggling networks along the Texas–Mexico border. He describes witnessing extreme cartel violence at a young age, moving migrants through border towns, becoming involved in violent contract work in Mexico, and later building a large drug business back home. Tyler also opens up about the side of that lifestyle people rarely talk about—the paranoia, emotional numbness, PTSD, memory problems, prison, and the difficulty of returning to a normal life after years surrounded by violence. We discuss: • Growing up in a strict Mormon household • Getting recruited into drug transportation as a teenager • Witnessing cartel violence for the first time • How human-smuggling networks operate along the border • Coyotes, safe houses, spotters, burner phones, and cartel organization • His descent into increasingly violent criminal work • Building a drug business through Snapchat • His 2019 arrest and prison sentence • The lasting…

People in this episode

Host: Johnny Mitchell

Guest: Tyler

Topics covered

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Mormon

Places: Texas, Mexico, Texas–Mexico border

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