The Connect- with Johnny Mitchell Podcast By Johnny Mitchell cover art

The Connect- with Johnny Mitchell

The Connect- with Johnny Mitchell

By: Johnny Mitchell
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Summary
 Former drug trafficker and standup comedian Johnny Mitchell takes you inside the world of drugs, crime, prison, and the politics of the War on Drugs.Johnny Mitchell Biographies & Memoirs True Crime
Episodes
  • The Dark Side of Growing Up in a Mafia Family

    The Dark Side of Growing Up in a Mafia Family
    Nov 4 2026
    Growing up just blocks from John Gotti's social club in New York City's Little Italy, Frank Parisi was raised in a world of Mafia figures, drug dealers, violence, and organized crime. His family owned a famous Italian bakery that secretly operated as a major marijuana distribution hub, moving hundreds of pounds of drugs through the streets of New York. Johnny sits down with Frank Parisi to reveal what it was really like growing up surrounded by the New York Mafia during the 1980s and 1990s. From witnessing brutal beatings outside his family's bakery as a young child to rubbing shoulders with powerful mob figures, Frank was exposed to the criminal underworld before he was old enough to understand it. His father was one of New York's biggest marijuana dealers, supplying everyone from street crews to well-connected organized crime figures. By age 12, Frank was selling drugs himself, and as he got older, he became involved in violent Staten Island street crews, drug trafficking, and an increasingly destructive opioid addiction. Despite countless arrests and dangerous encounters, he somehow managed to avoid a lengthy prison sentence. After years of addiction, violence, and brushes with death, Frank finally walked away from the streets and rebuilt his life in Texas. But in 2023, his incredible story took another shocking turn when he suffered sudden heart failure, experienced what he describes as dying on the operating table, and received a life-saving heart transplant from a 19-year-old girl. Frank reveals the untold stories of growing up in New York's Mafia underworld, the reality of life inside a criminal family, his descent into addiction, and the near-death experience that changed everything. Go Support Frank! Website and Book: https://frank-parisi.com/ Join The Patreon For Bonus Content! https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow 00:00 Growing Up Around the New York Mafia 04:45 Life in Little Italy During the 1980s and 90s 11:18 My Father's Bakery and Secret Drug Empire 17:22 Following My Father's Footsteps Into Street Life 24:55 How My Father Made Millions Selling Marijuana 31:10 My Addiction Spiraled Out of Control 38:54 Leaving New York and Fighting to Get Sober 46:15 Fighting for My Life and Needing a Heart Transplant 53:26 Getting a Second Chance at Life 1:00:36 What My Near-Death Experience Taught Me 1:07:05 Overcoming Addiction, Breaking the Cycle, and Living Fully Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 18 mins
  • He Ran America's Biggest Pill Mill, Made $40 Million

    He Ran America's Biggest Pill Mill, Made $40 Million
    Nov 1 2026
    At the height of Florida's opioid epidemic, Derik was helping run a massive pill mill operation that brought in as much as $300,000 a day, saw 500 patients daily, and generated an estimated $40 million before the feds shut it down. With dozens of doctors, thousands of customers traveling from across America, and an endless demand for oxycodone, the business became a multimillion-dollar empire operating in plain sight. Derik reveals how doctors were recruited, how patients obtained hundreds of prescription pain pills at a time, and how he once moved 100,000 pills in a deal worth over $1 million. But the money came with consequences. As the FBI closed in, Derik found himself facing federal racketeering charges and a 20-year prison sentence. Derik takes us inside the rise and fall of Florida's notorious pill mill industry, revealing the unbelievable profits, corruption, violence, and chaos behind one of the darkest chapters of America's opioid crisis. He also opens up about his deeply traumatic childhood, the family tragedies that shaped him, and what it took to rebuild his life after prison. From making millions selling prescription opioids to losing everything in federal prison, this is a firsthand account of the American opioid epidemic from someone who helped fuel it. This Episode Is #Sponsored By The Following: Hims! Ready to be him? Visit https://hims.com/connect to get personalized, affordable care for weight loss, hair loss, sex, testosterone, and more. Prescription products require an online consultation with a licensed healthcare provider who will determine if a prescription is appropriate. Restrictions apply. Individual results may vary. *Based on a survey of Hims customers. See https://hims.com for full details. PrizePicks! Visit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/CONNECT and use code CONNECT and get $150 if you win your first $5 lineup! Join The Patreon For Bonus Content! https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow 0:00 - Inside the $40 Million Florida Pill Mill Empire 5:16 - Where Did the Missing $15 Million Go? 12:26 - Running Clinics With 27,000 Patients 19:57 - 45-Second Doctor Visits and Roxy 30s 26:07 - MRI Kickbacks and the Business Behind the Pills 30:06 - This Episode Is Sponsored By Hims 31:39 - Derek's Childhood and Troubled Family History 38:20 - Childhood Violence and His Father's Arrest 44:52 - Growing Up Around the Mafia 52:32 - A Second Devastating Family Tragedy 59:50 - How Tragedy Tore His Family Apart 1:06:07 - Meeting the George Brothers and Building Houses 1:12:18 - The Steroid Business That Started It All 1:16:24 - This Episode Is Sponsored By PrizePicks 1:18:37 - How Derek Got Into the Pain Clinic Business 1:25:26 - Inside Florida's Wild West of Prescriptions 1:32:47 - Why Florida Became the Pill Mill Capital 1:40:59 - How the FBI First Discovered the Operation 1:47:42 - Recruiting Doctors and Growing the Empire 1:54:53 - Violence, Trouble, and Expanding the Clinic 2:01:24 - The Chaotic Clinic Gets a Police Visit 2:08:30 - Greedy Doctors and Stolen Patients 2:15:17 - Hiring a Doctor Who Sold Drugs From His Trunk 2:22:06 - Big-Time Pill Buyers and Million-Dollar Deals 2:29:05 - The Drug Laws and Who Really Profited 2:36:21 - Why the Federal Government Went After Them 2:42:05 - The Rival Jacksonville Pill Clinic 2:49:04 - A Gunpoint Confrontation Ends in Arrests 2:56:09 - How the Feds Built Their Case 3:03:19 - Cooperating Witnesses and Allegations Against Derek 3:09:31 - The Plea Deal, Prison Sentence, and Life After Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    3 hrs and 22 mins
  • Drug Kingpin Inherited His Murdered Father's Crack Empire

    Drug Kingpin Inherited His Murdered Father's Crack Empire
    Oct 28 2026
    Red Hat was born into a drug empire. His father was a millionaire drug kingpin who allegedly worked with corrupt cops, moved massive quantities of cocaine, and controlled the streets of Texarkana. But after serving time in prison, his father was brutally murdered over $1 million in hidden drug money. Instead of walking away from the criminal underworld, he followed in his father's footsteps. By just 15 years old, he was already selling drugs. By 17, he had his own house, multiple cars, and was making serious money in the streets. Eventually, he built his own drug trafficking operation, moving massive quantities of cocaine and marijuana across Texas and the surrounding states. Red Hat reveals what it was like growing up as the son of a powerful drug kingpin, his father's connections to corrupt police and organized crime, the shocking circumstances surrounding his murder, and how he went on to build a drug empire of his own. From childhood surrounded by drug money and violence to becoming a major trafficker himself, this is a firsthand account of generational crime, betrayal, unimaginable wealth, and the devastating consequences of the drug game. Go Support Red Hat! IG: https://www.instagram.com/on_da_spot725 YouTube: @OnDaSpotInterview Join The Patreon For Bonus Content! https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow 0:00 - The Midnight Call That Changed Everything 5:06 - Becoming a Major Weed Supplier 10:16 - Growing Up in a Drug Kingpin's Family 15:22 - My Dad's Secret Partnership With Corrupt Cops 21:22 - Jamaican Drug Dealers Kidnapped My Father 29:34 - From Stealing Rolexes to Federal Prison 34:36 - Getting Into the Drug Game at 15 40:03 - The Money Dispute That Got My Father Killed 46:02 - How I Started Selling Crack 52:13 - My Father's Gambling Addiction and Our Final Goodbye 58:30 - Making Connections in the Drug Business 1:04:20 - Running Multiple Crack Houses and Making Serious Money 1:11:33 - Escaping Police Raids on My Drug Houses 1:18:37 - How I Got a Corrupt Cop on My Side 1:25:49 - The Police Start Closing In on My Operation 1:32:02 - Leaving Crack Behind for the Weed Business 1:38:24 - Meeting My California Drug Connection 1:45:08 - Moving Hundreds of Pounds Across State Lines 1:53:12 - The Traffic Stop That Almost Ended Everything 2:00:37 - The Scare That Made Me Leave the Drug Game 2:06:04 - Lessons From the Streets and Breaking the Cycle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    2 hrs and 18 mins
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