Julian Dorey Podcast #403 - “They’re GHOSTS!” - Cartel Sheriff on Sinaloa’s Tunnels, Secret Scouts & El ChapO
Mar 31, 2026
Matt Thomas, former Pinal County chief deputy and decades-long cartel investigator. He recounts Sinaloa’s radio networks, desert scouts and ingenious tunnel smuggling. He talks local corruption, undercover tradecraft and shifting cartel power. Political shifts, migration mechanics and the rise of fentanyl also feature as major topics.
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How Sinaloa Built A Mountain Top Radio Network
- Sinaloa ran a mountain-top radio scout network to relay live checks from Mexico to loads moving north.
- Scouts on peaks acted as repeaters using Kenwood/Motorola radios, enabling real-time alerts across valleys from I-8 to the border.
Cartel Radios Upgraded To Rolling Encryption And GPS Control
- The cartels evolved from open radio chatter to rolling encrypted GPS-monitored radios that can be remotely disabled.
- Rolling keys and GPS allow remote zapping of compromised radios and tighter operational control over couriers.
Rock Cairns Used As Nighttime Early Warning Signals
- Thomas found rock cairns placed as early-warning trip markers to alert lookouts when vehicles passed at night.
- Hitting a rock cairn at 30–35 mph made loud noise; cartel lookouts then fired flares from hills to illuminate valleys for ops.
