Episode
Drug Kingpin El Primo, Who Worked Directly wth El Chapo, Tells His Life Story
- Podcast
- VladTV
- Published
- Jun 12, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 5430
- Processing state
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Summary
Donald Wayne Tompkins, better known as El Primo, sits down with VladTV to tell one of the most unbelievable stories ever featured on the platform — rising from poverty in Detroit during the crack era to eventually working directly with figures tied to the Sinaloa Cartel, including meetings with El Chapo himself. Born and raised in Detroit’s historic Black Bottom community, El Primo reflects on a difficult childhood marked by the loss of his mother, an absent father, and being raised by his grandparents in extreme poverty. He explains how the crack epidemic transformed Detroit in the 1980s and how he eventually found himself working under the Chambers organization, learning the business side of the drug trade at a young age. The conversation traces his rise through Detroit’s drug scene, including his early legal troubles as a teenager, surviving a murder case as a juvenile, and later transitioning from crack cocaine to large-scale marijuana trafficking. El Primo details how his operations expanded from moving pounds to tons, eventually leading him into direct business relationships with powerful figures connected to Mexico’s cartel network. El Primo gives a rare firsthand account of traveling throughout Mexico, negotiating large-scale drug deals, and meeting some of the most influential figures in organized crime. He discusses his interactions with Mario Núñez Meza, known as “The Butcher of Durango,” and shares stories of meeting El Chapo during the height of the cartel wars. He explains how drug trafficking functioned as a sophisticated business operation, often resembling multinational corporations more than street organizations. The interview also explores the realities of cartel politics, corruption, federal investigations, and the eventual collapse of his empire. E…