Julian Dorey Podcast #391 - “Narco HELL!” - Hunting Cartels: Occults, Mass Graves & Spiking Heads
Mar 3, 2026
Dave Franke, a former Mexican law enforcement officer and undercover agent who hunted cartels in Zacatecas, shares raw frontline stories. He recounts mass graves, ritualistic crimes and close-quarters firefights. He also discusses inter-agency rivalries, cartel recruitment tactics and why kinetic approaches can backfire.
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Mexican Policing Feels Like Constant Counterinsurgency
- Mexican policing operates like a quasi-military counterinsurgency where municipal cops are often corrupt due to proximity to cartels.
- Dave compares preventiva work to constant SWAT/HRT operations because officers confront organized, armed enemy combatants daily.
From Factory Manager To General's Martial Arts Instructor
- Dave walked into a general's office, demonstrated martial arts skills, and won a role as an instructor then a trusted member of the general's security.
- He trained recruits with police baton techniques and earned the general's trust through relentless work ethic and visible competence.
Quitting Corporate Life To Train With Mexican Forces
- Dave quit a well-paid Triumph manufacturing job to stay in Mexico and begin formal training with federalized units on May 1, 2012.
- He lived at base, trained under former GAFE special forces, and later qualified to carry both 9mm and a Beretta ARX 160.