Robert Mazur was directly responsible for one of the biggest busts against the Pablo Escobar Medellín Cartel. In 2009, he published “The Infiltrator,” a memoir about his two years undercover, and in 2016, the book was made into a film starring Bryan Cranston. Mazur is also the author of “The Betrayal,” a memoir about his infiltration of the Cali Cartel and underworld figures in Panama.
In this riveting episode of Chatter That Matters, Mazur takes listeners along his high-risk journey, sharing what led to his career in law enforcement and what made him raise his hand to volunteer for long-term undercover work.
He lifts the curtain on his undercover operation, chatting about what he learned at undercover school and the amount of work, training and preparation that went into his act as a corrupt businessman and money-mover. He shares fascinating details about how he recorded and gathered evidence, the close calls that nearly blew his cover and what it was like to sit amongst Pablo Escobar’s inner circle. He also shares the impact his work had on his personal life and family – and what compelled him to go back undercover to expose the Cali Cartel years later.
Robert Mazur’s undercover work resulted in the seizure of 1,429 kilograms of cocaine, the dismantling of a pipeline used to move tens of thousands of kilograms of cocaine to the U.S., $600 million in fines and forfeitures and the bankruptcy of a $20 billion bank heavily involved in marketing to the underworld. It also resulted in a $500,000 contract on Mazur’s head within 30 days of the bust.
Today, Robert Mazur is a speaker and educator, sharing his first-hand experiences with law enforcement and compliance officers, business leaders, attorneys and bankers. In this episode of Chatter That Matters, listeners hear about one of the biggest takedowns in history and the man who made it happen.
Tony Chapman created the Chatter That Matters podcast to counter the storm of negativity and impossibility with true stories of ordinary people who do extraordinary things. He chats with Olympians, Advocates, Celebrities, Leaders, and people who battled what seemed like insurmountable odds.
In doing, listeners hear life lessons that inspire all of us to do more and to be more, to help us get to where we need, want and deserve to go. RBC is the presenting sponsor.
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