Episode Details

Matthew Handy lived through 20 years of addiction, crime, prison, paranoia, and survival before finally turning his life around.

In this episode, Matt sits down to tell the wild story of how his life spiraled from early drug use in San Diego to heroin addiction, meth dealing, organized retail theft, credit card fraud, extortion, bank robbery, and cartel-adjacent chaos on both sides of the border.

Matt opens up about childhood trauma, prison, the criminal mindset, life in San Bernardino, the explosion of credit card fraud, smuggling drugs from Tijuana, and the moment a bank robbery finally forced him to choose between spending decades behind bars or changing his life.

Today, Matt is in recovery, runs the podcast My Last Relapse, and works in addiction treatment helping others escape the same cycle that nearly destroyed him.

Go Support Matt!

YouTube: @MyLastRelapse

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matt.handy.17/

Rehab: https://www.harmonygrovebh.com/

Join The Patreon For Bonus Content!

https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow

00:00 Intro: Credit Card Fraud, Addiction & Crime

06:58 Growing Up in 1990s San Diego

13:39 Planning a Bank Robbery

18:10 Extorting Doctors & Wealthy Clients

24:14 Childhood Trauma and Early Criminality

29:56 Robberies, Drugs & Firestorm Burglaries

35:20 Prison Life and Using Behind Bars

37:42 The Baby Product Theft Scheme

43:17 Building a Nationwide Retail Theft Operation

49:27 Paranoia, Silent Tape & High-Level Shoplifting

55:22 Prison Didn’t Scare Him Straight

1:03:44 Getting Out, Relapsing & Manipulating Family

1:09:11 Back With His Uncle and Trap House Life

1:13:18 Selling Meth and Joining a Gang Circle

1:19:03 Police Surveillance and Controlled Buys

1:24:03 Major Task Force Bust

1:29:18 Addiction, Choice & Facing Serious Time

1:32:59 Moving to San Bernardino

1:37:04 The Amazon Warehouse Scam

1:42:55 Credit Card Fraud Begins

1:49:31 Running Teams and Moving Merchandise

1:56:33 Paranoia Ends the Fraud Ring

2:00:03 Returning to San Diego and Trying to Get Clean

2:04:02 Relapse, Energy Drink Theft & Street Hustles

2:09:43 Meeting His Future Wife

2:15:03 Doctors, Escorts & Blackmail

2:18:07 COVID, Fentanyl and Crime in San Diego

2:22:19 Tijuana Drug Houses and Border Runs

2:27:37 Heroin, Fentanyl and Meth Markets

2:34:31 Xanax Blackouts and Cartel Money

2:39:32 Robbing a Bank to Get Her Attention

2:44:48 Arrest, FBI Questioning & Bomb Threat Investigation

2:50:21 Delancey Street and Avoiding Decades in Prison

2:57:58 Recovery, Relapse and Building a New Life

3:00:24 Where to Find Matthew Handy

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