I Was A 19-Year-Old Drug Kingpin - Now I Give Ex-Cons Jobs | BRAND NEW ME

I Was A 19-Year-Old Drug Kingpin - Now I Give Ex-Cons Jobs | BRAND NEW ME

AT the age of 23, Coss Marte’s life as he knew it came crashing down.

He started dealing weed at the age of 13 and by 19, he was running one of the largest drug delivery services in New York.

But then Coss was arrested, charged as a drug kingpin and was facing 12 to 24 years in prison.

Coss received a seven year sentence and entered prison weighing 231lbs, where he got some shocking news from the doctor.

Coss, 35, told Truly: “They sat me down and they were like, 'You have high cholesterol and if you continue to live in this lifestyle, you can probably die within five years'.” Motivated by this, Coss began working out in the prison yard.

He lost 71lbs in six months and helped fellow inmates lose weight too.

In solitary, Coss worked out in a 9ft by 6ft cell, where he developed a business plan and after his release in 2013, Coss founded Conbody.

It has become a successful fitness business centred on prison-style workout classes, led by formerly incarcerated trainers.

Coss said: “I think Conbody is totally unique.

It's a community that really breaks down a lot of stereotypes between formerly incarcerated individuals and young professionals that come here.” Coss has only hired people who have been through the prison system and the organisation has zero recidivism rates.

Coss feels he had a second chance at life and said: “But I think I made that second chance as I decided to make that change.

I said, I'm not going back no matter what.

I'm not putting myself in a position that was going to lead me back into this system.” https://www.instagram.com/conbody/ Snapchat: @conbody https://conbody.com/ https://twitter.com/conbodynyc