Real stories from the people everyone else judges first. Hosted by Ian Bick — former federal inmate turned speaker and podcaster — this show sits down with former inmates, recovering addicts, bikers, law enforcement, investigators, and people who have lived through the darkest chapters of their lives. Each episode dives deep into crime, prison, addiction, trauma, redemption, mental health, street life, recovery, and second chances — without scripts, filters, or fake narratives. If you’re into true crime, raw prison stories, personal transformation, and real human honesty, you’ll feel at home here. This isn’t entertainment. It’s lived experience.
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Real stories from the people everyone else judges first. Hosted by Ian Bick — former federal inmate turned speaker and podcaster — this show sits down with former inmates, recovering addicts, bikers, law enforcement, investigators, and people who have lived through the darkest chapters of their lives. Each episode dives deep into crime, prison, addiction, trauma, redemption, mental health, street life, recovery, and second chances — without scripts, filters, or fake narratives. If you’re into true crime, raw prison stories, personal transformation, and real human honesty, you’ll feel at home here. This isn’t entertainment. It’s lived experience.
I Was a Norteño Gang Soldier Inside California’s Most Dangerous Prisons | Mario Sanchez
Locked In with Ian Bick
2 hours 4 minutes
2 weeks ago
I Was a Norteño Gang Soldier Inside California’s Most Dangerous Prisons | Mario Sanchez
Mario Sanchez grew up in San Francisco, where a tough childhood and the streets shaped his future. After high school, he started committing home invasions that led to a decade-long prison sentence in some of California’s most dangerous maximum-security prisons. Inside, Mario joined the Norteños — one of the most feared prison gangs in the state.
#PrisonStories #GangLife #CaliforniaPrisons #Norteño #PrisonInterview #TrueCrimePodcast #RedemptionStory #survivingprison
Thank you to BLUECHEW & GLD for sponsoring this episode:
BlueChew: Visit https://bluechew.com/ and use promo code LOCKEDIN at checkout to get your first month of BlueChew & pay five bucks for shipping.
GLD: New customers get 50% Off AND a FREE chain with code LOCKEDIN at https://www.gld.com/
Connect with Mario Sanchez:
Website: www.relentless-mindset.com
IG: @theemariosanchez
YouTube: The_RelentlessMindset
Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:
https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en
https://ianbick.com/
Shop Locked In Merch:
http://www.ianbick.com/shop
Timestamps:
00:00 From Home Invasions to Prison Life – Mario’s Story Begins
03:34 Growing Up in San Francisco’s Tough Streets
05:55 Family Trauma, Survival, and a Broken Foundation
11:00 School, Rebellion & Slipping Into the Streets
16:02 Partying, Peer Pressure & Losing Control
20:55 First Robberies: How the Crime Spree Began
29:44 Arrested: The Day Everything Collapsed
36:43 County Jail, Gang Politics & Staying Alive
43:00 Prison Life: Education, Violence & Daily Survival
47:00 California Prison Politics & Gang Structures
01:01:03 Life in The SHU: Extreme Isolation & Mental Battles
01:14:16 Pelican Bay Level 4: The Harshest Prison Reality
01:26:06 Riots, Rivalries & The Prison Code of Survival
01:33:01 Earning Respect: Becoming a Leader on the Yard
01:39:09 The Turning Point: Choosing to Walk Away from the Gang
01:44:41 Life After Prison: Reentry, Reality & Redemption
01:46:35 The Weight of a Criminal Record & Rebuilding from Nothing
01:52:40 From Prison to Purpose: Film, Writing & Helping Youth
01:56:53 Lessons Learned: Advice to Anyone on the Edge
01:58:44 Final Reflections & Closing Thoughts
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Locked In with Ian Bick
Real stories from the people everyone else judges first. Hosted by Ian Bick — former federal inmate turned speaker and podcaster — this show sits down with former inmates, recovering addicts, bikers, law enforcement, investigators, and people who have lived through the darkest chapters of their lives. Each episode dives deep into crime, prison, addiction, trauma, redemption, mental health, street life, recovery, and second chances — without scripts, filters, or fake narratives. If you’re into true crime, raw prison stories, personal transformation, and real human honesty, you’ll feel at home here. This isn’t entertainment. It’s lived experience.
