Journalist and author Ian Frisch joins Marty Skovlund Jr. to take us through his new book “Inside the Cartel: How an Undercover FBI Agent Smuggled Cocaine, Laundered Cash, and Dismantled a Colombian Narco-Empire.”

This true story is about FBI Special Agent Martin “Manny” Suarez, who spent years undercover infiltrating Colombian narcos. We dig into how Suarez earned trust, smuggled cocaine to keep his cover viable, and followed the money through the Black Market Peso Exchange (BMPE) to expose laundering pipelines that touched blue-chip companies and global finance.

This conversation lands amid major policy shifts: In 2025, the U.S. created a process to designate international cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists, and shortly after designated eight cartels. We unpack what that “reclassification” means for law enforcement, banks, and cross-border trade—plus the real-world cost of living a double life.

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New here? Welcome to Subject Matter Expert, hosted by Marty Skovlund Jr., featuring top experts across diverse and relevant fields without regard to political bias. If you're looking for an echo chamber, this isn't it!

In each episode, Marty dives deep into high-impact topics with guests who have been there, done that, offering nuanced insights and practical takeaways, while highlighting their unique stories, knowledge, and experiences.

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