Police Under Cover Truths: Inside His DEA Career, Cartels, and Motorcycle Gangs. For more than two decades, David Tyree lived a double life. On the surface, he was a dedicated agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Behind the scenes, he infiltrated some of the most dangerous organizations in the world, outlaw motorcycle gangs and international drug cartels. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast promoted across their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LawEnforcementTalkRadioShow"> Facebook </a> , <a href="https://www.instagram.com/letradioshowpodcast/"> Instagram </a> , <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnjwiley/"> LinkedIn </a> , <a href="https://medium.com/@letradioshow"> Medium</a> and other social media platforms.
“I spent years sitting across from people who wouldn’t hesitate to kill me if they knew who I really was,” Tyree said during a recent interview. “The stakes were always life or death. But the mission, to dismantle these organizations, was worth every risk.” He is the guest on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, available for free on their website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast platforms.
Undercover Against Motorcycle Gangs
Tyree’s undercover work included working with outlaw motorcycle clubs, also known as “one-percenters.” These organizations often present themselves as brotherhoods of riders but, as the Department of Justice points out, many function as highly structured criminal enterprises. Look for supporting stories about this and much more from Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast in platforms like <a href="https://medium.com/@letradioshow" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Medium </a> , <a href="https://lawenforcementtalkradio.blogspot.com"> Blogspot </a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnjwiley/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Linkedin </a> .
“The ‘Big Four’ dominate the outlaw motorcycle scene,” Tyree explained. “These groups aren’t just about bikes. They’re about drugs, weapons, extortion, and serious violence. My job was to get inside and stay alive long enough to make a difference.” Police Under Cover Truths: Inside His DEA Career, Cartels, and Motorcycle Gangs.
According to federal reports, there are more than 300 active motorcycle gangs in the U.S. Some operations are small, but others span hundreds of chapters worldwide, often working hand-in-hand with drug cartels.
Cartels, Cash, and Money Laundering
Tyree’s assignments expanded beyond biker gangs. He went undercover as a drug dealer, then later as a money launderer, targeting powerful South American and Central American drug cartels. Available for free on their website and streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast platforms.
“These cartels are multinational corporations of crime,” he said. “Drugs, cash, money, violence, it’s all part of their business model. They’ll work with anyone who helps them move product or clean their dirty money.”
Wikipedia describes cartels as alliances of independent drug lords who collaborate to dominate the illegal trade. Tyree saw firsthand how groups like the Sinaloa Cartel and Los Zetas waged bloody turf wars while smuggling narcotics across borders. Police Under Cover Truths: Inside His DEA Career, Cartels, and Motorcycle Gangs. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast episode is available for free on their website , Apple Podcasts , Spotify and most major podcast platforms.
“One day I could be moving fake loads of cocaine, the next day I’d be laundering millions in cash,” he recalled. “The psychological toll was real. You don’t just walk away from that without scars.”
Shattering the Hollywood Myths
Much of what the public knows about undercover work comes from movies and TV. Tyree insists that reality is far different.
“One big myth is that agents have to use drugs to prove themselves,” he said. “That’s absolutely false. If you do that, you compromise the case. There are ways around those tests of loyalty, and we were trained to handle them.”
Another misconception is that undercover life is constant action. In truth, many investigations stretched over a year or more. “Paperwork was just as important as the undercover work,” Tyree explained. “Evidence, lab reports, case files, that’s what puts people in prison.” The full podcast episode is streaming now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and across Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
As for agents going “soft” on their targets? Tyree dismisses the idea. “You might build rapport, but you never forget who you’re dealing with. These are people who thrive on violence and greed.” Police Under Cover Truths: Inside His DEA Career, Cartels, and Motorcycle Gangs.
Even his own family didn’t always know the full truth. “I kept a lot to myself,” he admitted. “Sometimes it was to protect them, sometimes just to keep them from worrying.”
Battling Trauma, and Cancer
The stress of living under a false identity, constantly under threat, took its toll. Tyree admits nervousness was a constant companion early on. “I had to learn techniques to stay calm, to stay focused,” he said. The Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast promoted across their Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , Medium and other social media platforms.
As his career wound down, Tyree faced a different kind of fight, cancer. “It was one of the toughest battles of my life, but the same resilience I built undercover helped me through it.” His Cancer diagnosis was the result of a dare and bet. He is a huge advocate for early and frequent health screenings. Police Under Cover Truths: Inside His DEA Career, Cartels, and Motorcycle Gangs.
Life After the DEA
Today, Tyree is retired from the DEA but far from finished with his mission. He serves as a Senior Advisor on Financial Crime Detection and Anti-Money Laundering with Valid8 Financial and is an instructor with the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists.
With 25 years of experience, he now uses his expertise to help financial institutions, government agencies, and law enforcement combat crime through Bank Secrecy Act, AML, KYC, and due diligence processes. Check out the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast promoted across their Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , Medium and other social media platforms.
“Whether it was chasing cartels or building compliance systems, the goal has always been the same, protect people, protect society,” he said.
Telling His Story
Tyree now shares his story through interviews, news outlets, and guest appearances on podcasts like the Law Enforcement Talk Radio show and podcast, which is available for free on their website, also on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and mroe. His recent feature, Police Under Cover Truths, pulls back the curtain on undercover operations, addressing both the myths and the realities of life in deep cover. Police Under Cover Truths: Inside His DEA Career, Cartels, and Motorcycle Gangs.
He also connects with audiences check out the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, where he continues to educate others about the risks of organized crime and the importance of financial vigilance.
“I don’t glamorize what I did,” Tyree concluded. “It was dangerous, it was messy, and sometimes it was terrifying. But it was necessary. And if people can learn something from my career, whether it’s about cartels, motorcycle gangs, or money laundering, then sharing these truths is worth it.”
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The full interview is streaming now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show website.
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Police Under Cover Truths: Inside His DEA Career, Cartels, and Motorcycle Gangs.
Attributions
<a href="https://www.valid8financial.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Valid8 Financial</a>
<a href="https://www.justice.gov/archives/criminal/criminal-vcrs/gallery/outlaw-motorcycle-gangs-omgs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DOJ</a>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_cartel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wikipedia</a>
<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/everything-hollywood-gets-right-and-wrong-about-working-undercover-2016-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Business Insider</a>

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