Matthew Cox | Inside True Crime Podcast Miami Pickpocket Makes Millions! | Trap Queens
Dec 16, 2025
Celeste Yvonne Wells, a former pickpocket and drug trafficker from Miami, shares her gripping journey from childhood theft to orchestrating a criminal empire. She reveals the challenges she faced growing up, her expertise in pickpocketing techniques, and how she expanded her operations across state lines. Celeste discusses her experiences in federal prison and the barriers she encountered upon release. Now an author and advocate, she aims to help others through community projects, including plans for a safe house for women.
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Early Life Of Strategic Theft
- Celeste Yvonne Wells began stealing as a child while accompanying her mother to wealthy homes and learned to take only what wouldn’t be missed.
- She escalated into boosting clothes and jewelry through school and neighborhood thefts, selling items or giving some away to friends.
Early Arrest Hardened Her Hustle
- At 14 Celeste was caught stealing in a store and her mother had the police take her to the station as a lesson, which only hardened her.
- That arrest pushed her to hang with older boosters and robbers who taught more advanced hustles.
Turned Out, Not Turned To Sex Work
- Celeste describes meeting a pimp at a pimp ball who turned her out and sent her to Tampa to pick pockets and steal jewelry for him.
- She kept a portion of earnings for herself and refused to perform sexual acts, choosing boosting and pickpocketing instead.