Confessions Of A Harlem Drug Lord: How A Homeless Immigrant Became KING OF CRACK in New York City

Martin Mejias, known on the streets of New York City as Chango, grew up in Harlem after his family immigrated from Puerto Rico. At a young age, he experienced poverty and frequent homelessness, and was soon exposed to the illegal drug game in his neighborhood. Before long, he became a part of it. It wasn't long before he was selling and manufacturing crack cocaine and swiftly became a young kingpin with an entire crew working for him. At his height, he controlled 5 city blocks on the westside of Harlem and had an army of 45 workers selling crack 24 hours a day. His crew, known as YTC or "Yellow Top Crew" became so powerful that the NYPD formed a special task force for the sole purpose of taking them down. He tells us about his days in the illegal drug market, the bust that landed him in prison, the destruction he caused on his community and family, and decisions that led to him turning his life around. Go Support Chango! IG: https://www.instagram.com/chango_cp5 Chango's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CHANGO842 Shout out to Domesticated Wolf for the intro! Follow his page on IG: domesticatedwolf69 This Episode Is Sponsored By ROCKET MONEY Stop wasting money on things you don’t use. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to RocketMoney.com/CONNECT Join The Patreon For Bonus Content! https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6mc4qAxpztC6D20wzeS91C Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU69IWUT8m_qPT01AbelXiA/join 00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:04 - Living In Poverty As A Child 00:07:33 - Growing Up in Brooklyn 00:15:06 - Leaving Puerto Rico and Returning to New York 00:17:05 - This Episode Is Sponsored By ROCKET MONEY 00:19:09 - Dominicans and Puerto Ricans in the Drug Trade 00:29:55 - Falling into the Drug Game in the Neighborhood 00:37:15 - Economic Warfare and Alternating Prices 00:45:05 - The Crew Operation and Organization 00:52:49 - The Abandoned Building Operation 01:00:15 - Coordination and Evading the Police 01:07:45 - Drug Charges and Fake Charges 01:15:44 - The Crack Era Deaths 01:23:25 - Illegal Gun Trade in the Neighborhood 01:31:11 - Tito's Close Call 01:38:46 - The Arrest and Ambush on 109th Street 01:46:16 - Boxed In on 109th Street 01:53:29 - Dealing on the Streets of New York 02:00:47 - The Consequences of the Drug Game 02:08:41 - Federal vs State Charges and Sentencing Options 02:16:27 - Personal Accounts from the Case 02:24:06 - Corruption and the Downfall 02:32:31 - The Plan to Escape Prison 02:39:55 - Surviving a War in Prison 02:47:46 - Life in the Streets of Harlem 02:55:06 - Finding Yourself in Unexpected Places