The Wild True Story Behind Cocaine Quarterback: Signal-Caller for the Cartel

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Owen Hanson’s life took an unbelievable turn – from college football player to a major drug trafficker. Prime Video’s new docuseries, *Cocaine Quarterback: Signal-Caller for the Cartel*, details his extraordinary story. Featuring interviews with reporters, law enforcement, Hanson’s loved ones, and even Hanson himself from prison, the series reveals how he went from being a backup quarterback to a key figure in a drug smuggling operation. It’s a wild, but true, account of his incredible journey.

Growing up in Redondo Beach, California, Hanson became dedicated to volleyball, earning attention from colleges like USC in the early 2000s. When he couldn’t secure a starting position, he began using steroids, illegally obtaining them from Tijuana to improve his performance. Driven to succeed, Hanson then attempted to walk onto the USC football team in 2004. His performance at the tryout was remarkable, and he became the only player to make the team without being recruited.

Although Hanson didn’t play a significant role on the field, he was the backup quarterback for the 2005 National Championship team that defeated Oklahoma. He became known as a dedicated teammate and hard worker, but also as someone with connections to drugs used by players to manage pain. After college, he moved back in with his father in Redondo Beach, still hoping to achieve something bigger. When the 2008 recession ended his plans to become a real estate agent, he started a sports betting business. The documentary series reveals how this led to him being recruited by the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel, who valued his networking skills and knowledge of people. Eager to make money and gain power, Hanson readily accepted the opportunity and quickly found himself working for the cartel in Australia, exchanging large amounts of cocaine for substantial cash payments.

Australia’s isolated location makes drugs expensive, and it’s very difficult to legally take large amounts of cash out of the country. Hanson found himself with millions of dollars in illegal funds at his apartment – so much that it filled his cupboards and even his dishwasher – and needed to clean it. He started by exploiting the popularity of Ugg boots, hiding four gold bars (worth $1,600 each) inside the soles and shipping them to the US. Hanson believes he was laundering between $100,000 and $150,000 each day. However, with millions arriving daily, he needed a much faster way to process the money.

Hanson learned about a high-stakes gambler named Robert Cipriani, also known as Robin Hood 702 for his habit of winning big at Las Vegas casinos and donating to charity. In 2011, Hanson contacted Cipriani, using a false name, and offered him money to gamble in Australia. The plan was for Cipriani to receive a check from the Australian casino that he could cash in Las Vegas, effectively bringing the funds into the United States. Hanson claims Cipriani agreed to help for a fee and successfully laundered $1.5 million in two days. However, Cipriani denies these allegations. According to Cipriani, he became wary when Hanson asked him to launder another $2.5 million and tried to refuse, but Hanson threatened him into participating-a claim Hanson disputes. Ultimately, Cipriani lost the entire $2.5 million while gambling.

After losing the money, Cipriani found himself threatened by Hanson and his accomplice, Sean Carolan, and decided to retaliate. As he explains in the documentary, he prefers a clever approach when confronting his enemies. He arranged a meeting with Hanson and Carolan at a Sydney hotel, but secretly called ahead to report a gun in their room. When police investigated room 3206, they found Carolan with a suitcase containing over $700,000, which he claimed belonged to DeLuca. While authorities started connecting the dots, they lacked sufficient proof to arrest Hanson. Hanson, in turn, began pursuing Cipriani for the $2.5 million he was owed.

Private investigator Danno Hanks and bounty hunter Jack “Animal” Rissell, featured in the docuseries, were hired by Hanson to track down Cipriani. After locating Cipriani’s home, Hanson sent pizza and flowers as a deliberate provocation. The situation escalated when Hanson instructed Hanks to vandalize Cipriani’s mother’s grave. He then had Hanks digitally alter a photo of the damaged grave to make it appear as though Hanson himself had committed the act, holding a shovel as if he’d done the digging.

New South Wales police made a key discovery: Junior DeLuca was actually Owen Hanson. Heavily burdened by debts to a powerful cartel leader known as El Jefe, Hanson decided to cooperate with Australian police, hoping they would return the $700,000 they had confiscated. However, this plan failed. Not only did he not get the money back, but the police investigated him more thoroughly, knowing about his ties to Cipriani. Although Hanson was communicating from outside of Australia, he realized he couldn’t return, as he would be immediately arrested upon arrival.

According to the report, after his meeting with El Jefe in Tijuana, Hanson was forced to work for the cartel to pay off a debt worth millions of dollars – every dollar he earned went towards it. He recruited a team, including his close friend Giovanni “Tank” Brandolino, to help with the drug smuggling. Hanson successfully paid off his debt and had a chance to leave that life behind, but the enormous profits – over a million dollars a day – were too tempting. He continued to deepen his involvement in drug smuggling.

The criminal career of Hanson ended on September 9, 2015, when the FBI arrested him for drug trafficking. This was a collaborative effort with the IRS and New South Wales Police. Cipriani was working with the FBI to help bring Hanson down. The arrest led to charges for over 20 of Hanson’s associates, including Brandolino. In late 2017, Hanson received a 21-year prison sentence, but it was significantly reduced because he provided information to Australian police that resulted in the arrest of attorney Michael Croke for obstructing justice. Some compared Croke to the character Jimmy McGill from the TV show *Better Call Saul*. After serving nine years, Hanson was moved to a halfway house in March 2024 and was released on parole in June 2025, where he remains under supervision.

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2025-09-27 01:06