#379 - “Sinister!” - Cartel Cop on Cartel Occult, “R*pe Tree” & Life-Changing Cure | Matt Thomas

Feb 3, 2026

Matt Thomas, former Pinal County chief deputy who spent 30 years hunting cartels and leading narcotics and undercover work. He recounts chasing Sinaloa operatives in Arizona. He discusses ruthless cartel structures, horrifying “rape tree” trafficking practices, and the personal toll of long-term trauma. He also talks about trying ketamine therapy for processing trauma and how it changed his outlook.

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ANECDOTE

High-Risk Night Raid Gone Wrong

Matt Thomas described a night vision raid where his team expected a heavily armed cartel suspect at home.
The house was empty and he feared it was a setup, thinking they might be blown up or shot at.

INSIGHT

Violence As Business, Not Personal

Matt Thomas says confronting cartel bosses felt like 'business' rather than personal vendetta.
He framed policing as an interdependent cycle: cops need criminals and criminals need cops.

INSIGHT

Prison Yards Drive Street Power

Matt explains prison gangs run street gangs and set orders, taxes, and hits from inside prisons.
Yard shot-callers return to the streets carrying higher status and real power.

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SPONSORS: 1) MANDO: Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @shop.mando and get 20% off + free shipping with promo code JULIAN at https://shopmando.com ! #mandopod 2) AMENTARA: Go to www.amentara.com/go/JULIAN and use code JD22 for 22% off your first order JOIN PATREON FOR EARLY UNCENSORED EPISODE RELEASES: https://www.patreon.com/JulianDorey (***TIMESTAMPS in description below) ~ Chief Matt Thomas is the former Chief Deputy at the Pinal County (AZ) Sheriff's Office. He has hunted the Cartels for 3 decades. MATT's LINKS: IG: https://www.instagram.com/alpharesponder/ YT: https://www.youtube.com/@UCs2mVuZgKhWSuNPT565RNIA FB: https://www.facebook.com/people/Alpha-Responder-Network/61557976149811/?_rdr WEBSITE: https://alpharesponder.com/ FOLLOW JULIAN DOREY INSTAGRAM (Podcast): https://www.instagram.com/juliandoreypodcast/ INSTAGRAM (Personal): https://www.instagram.com/julianddorey/ X: https://twitter.com/julianddorey JULIAN YT CHANNELS - SUBSCRIBE to Julian Dorey Clips YT: https://www.youtube.com/@juliandoreyclips - SUBSCRIBE to Julian Dorey Daily YT: https://www.youtube.com/@JulianDoreyDaily - SUBSCRIBE to Best of JDP: https://www.youtube.com/@bestofJDP ****TIMESTAMPS**** 0:00 – Intro 01:30 – Cartel Hunting, Sinaloa, Prison Gangs, Mafia Overlap, Arizona 11:58 – Street Weed, Ketamine Therapy, Law Enforcement Trauma 24:49 – Ketamine Sessions, Trauma Processing, Memory Recall 38:33 – PTSD, Compartmentalization, Alcohol, Death Drive 48:56 – Psychedelics, Counseling, Mindset Shift 57:58 – Becoming a Cop, Biker Father, WWII Vets, Service 01:07:20 – Parochial School, LA Gangs, Phoenix Violence 01:18:20 – Fatherhood at 20, Sheriff Path, Responsibility 01:27:50 – Jail Hierarchies, Mafia Order, Respect Systems 01:37:02 – Street Policing, Narcotics, Chaos vs Boredom 01:47:35 – Undercover Ops, Cartel Scale, Adrenaline 01:59:17 – Arizona Cartels, Drug Routes, Child Trafficking 02:09:07 – R*pe Trees, Trafficking, Border Reality 02:20:07 – Political Denial, Sheriffs, COVID 02:31:01 – Cartel Occult, Santa Muerte, Religion Weaponized 02:40:35 – Occult Rituals, Dual Lives, Family Balance 02:51:48 – Cartel Reality, Family Risk, Moral Limits 02:54:41 – Another one coming CREDITS: - Host, Editor & Producer: Julian Dorey - COO, Producer & Editor: Alessi Allaman - https://www.youtube.com/@UCyLKzv5fKxGmVQg3cMJJzyQ - In-Studio Producer: Joey Deef - https://www.instagram.com/joeydeef/ Julian Dorey Podcast Episode 379 - Matt Thomas Music by Artlist.io

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