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The Underworld Podcast

True Crime

Underworld exposes the secret world of transnational criminal networks that have flourished since there were banks to bust, drugs to smuggle, and scams to run. Journalists Danny Gold and Sean Williams bring their experience reporting on dangerous people and organizations to take listeners on a global tour of mobsters, warlords and crooks - from Brooklyn to Beijing, from the streets to the boardrooms - and everywhere in between. Underworld is a show about heroes, villains, and the barely visible mafias that affect all our lives, whether we know it or not.

Location:

United States

Genres:

True Crime

Description:

Underworld exposes the secret world of transnational criminal networks that have flourished since there were banks to bust, drugs to smuggle, and scams to run. Journalists Danny Gold and Sean Williams bring their experience reporting on dangerous people and organizations to take listeners on a global tour of mobsters, warlords and crooks - from Brooklyn to Beijing, from the streets to the boardrooms - and everywhere in between. Underworld is a show about heroes, villains, and the barely visible mafias that affect all our lives, whether we know it or not.

Language:

English

Contact:

914-260-2081


Episodes
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The Richest Arms Dealer Ever: Adnan Khashoggi

2/11/2025
Adnan Khashoggi was born in Mecca — but his life was anything but pious. The billionaire had multiple wives, girlfriends and armies of callgirls, not to mention gambling sessions and club nights whose costs ran into the millions of dollars. Khashoggi made his first riches shipping arms from the US to Saudi Arabia. But soon his “fees,” and the ways he got them, began to catch up with him. And dalliances in politics, bad investments, and some friends in dark places, would send the life of the ‘world’s richest man’ into a criminal tailspin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:54:51

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The Mobster Who Ruled Hawaii & His Brutal Revenge Quest

2/4/2025
Michael Miske came from a broken home through years of petty crime to lead a gang of lost boys in Honolulu, cornering its drug scene and befriending cops to build an empire of pain in the Aloha State. But when Miske’s son slammed his car into a truck and died, it sent the kingpin on a spiral of misplaced rage — ending in murder, conspiracy and even a chemical weapon attack. Even when the law caught up with him, Miske had one last trick up his sleeve. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:02:51

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America's Most Dangerous Prison Gang: The Aryan Brotherhood

1/28/2025
What started as a small gang of white prisoners in a California state prison in the 1960's is now one of, if not the most powerful prison gang across America, with tens of thousands of soldiers across federal and state lines. Though they're alleged to only have approximately 150 full-fledged members, the Aryan Brotherhood has found ways to dominate prison economies and expand their rackets into the outside world. The Brand, as the Aryan Brotherhood is sometimes called, has morphed from a self-described white supremacist prison gang into an all-encompassing criminal syndicate putting profit and power over their ideological stances. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:51:41

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Hollywood's Celebrity Gangster and the Battle for Los Angeles: Mickey Cohen

1/21/2025
Mickey once said of himself, quote, “I was a pretty fair replica of the devil.” He also killed a bunch of people, and got away with it. A street hustler since he was 6, Cohen gained a rep as a hard-fighting professional boxer despite his short stature, and a rep as a wild-haired stick up kid that never backed down from a gunfight or a robbery. But when he got the call to head back to LA to serve as the number 2/bodyguard for Bugsy Siegel, everything changed. Under Bugsy, Mickey's statue rose sky-high, and he learned about the organized part of organized crime: legit businesses, using charm instead of guns, high society, and all that. He slept with A list actresses, was known for his insanely expensive wardrobe, ran LA's gambling rackets, high class prostitution, controlled labor unions, extortion rackets, was tied into all the movie studios and had an army of shooters. He mixed with politicians, newspaper editors, and every famous actor, and actress, of the era...all while fighting a deadly multi-year war with Jack Dragna over control of LA and the race wire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:01:58

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The Nazi Drug Kingpin, the Biggest Narco You've Never Heard Of & The Cocaine Coup

1/14/2025
It’s January 5, 1982, and the central American state of Panama is playing host to one of the most extraordinary narco summits in history. Hosting the pow-wow is Manuel Noriega, chief of Panamanian military intelligence and just a year from siezing its control. Pablo Escobar, head of what will become the feared Medellin Cartel, is there too. But even these criminal heavyweights aren’t the biggest gangsters in the room. That title belongs to Roberto Suarez Gomez, Bolivia’s so-called King of Cocaine, supplier of Andean coca paste to a global blow industry. Suarez, a former cattle rancher and heir to a rubber fortune, has never been more powerful. Just two years previous he’d backed Bolivia’s so-called ‘Cocaine Coup', tearing through capital La Paz and installing violent general Luis Garcia Meza as president. Since then Suarez has built the modern cocaine market, cementing Escobar as his chief buyer, and pulling in Noriega and even the Castros of Cuba. But Suarez couldn’t have done all this without the fourth man in this room in Panama, quiet and slight, with a saturnine face that belies the litany of evil he’s managed in his 67 years. This is Klaus Barbie, fugitive SS officer and so-called ‘Butcher of Lyon’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:50:16

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The Teenage Hitmen of Marseille's Gang Wars

1/7/2025
You might recognize the city of Marseille as the home of one of the biggest drug trafficking operations in history, the French Connection. These days, though, it's no longer Corsican mobsters using France's second biggest city as a transshipment point to move heroin across the Mediterranean. Instead, the last two decades have seen street gangs of mostly North African teenagers warring over retail drug spots that can make over $100,000 a day. 2023 saw nearly 50 narco-homicides, as the French police call them, as a gang known as the DZ Mafia started to take control. And the violence is only increasing, as AK-47's become the guns of choice and 15 year old hitmen are hired off of telegram and paid 20,000 euros to kill other teenagers and then post about it on snapchat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:04:10

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The Nazi Fugitive Who Created The Modern Cocaine Cartel & Befriended Escobar

12/31/2024
When Klaus Barbie, the “Butcher of Lyon”, escaped Europe at the end of the war and fled to Latin America, he didn’t follow his fellow Nazis into hiding. In fact, Barbie remained on the books of western spy agencies, including the CIA, and reaped enormous wealth, power, and protection. Barbie then hooked up with the fascists and druglords of Bolivia, christened a death squad called the “Bridesgrooms of Death” — and took the country in a brutal coup backed so far to the hilt by marching powder, that Bolivians still call it the “Cocaine Coup”. But Barbie’s work wasn’t done there. As reporters and Nazi hunters uncovered his true identity, the fugitive mass-murderer connected Bolivian “King of Cocaine” Roberto Suarez Gomez with the cartels of Colombia, birthing the modern-day blow industry. And he would even become friends with nascent narco-terrorist Pablo Escobar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:56:06

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STASH HOUSE: Captagon Craziness, Free Narcos, Russian Crypto Scams, and More!

12/23/2024
In this holiday special, we get into some of the big stories of the month from Captagon updates, the Gulf Cartel leader and Zetas creator going free, a wild Russian crypto London drug dealing scam, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:49:02

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The Biggest American Weed Cartel Ever: The Cornbread Mafia

12/16/2024
When the Cornbread mafia started to unravel in the late 1980's, the feds had no idea what they had stumbled upon. Within a few years, they had seized 400 million dollars in marijuana grown in 30 locations in 10 states, indicting 70 people. And it all started with some country outlaws. These men were farmers, mechanics, and handymen by day, and by night, they transformed into savvy businessmen managing an underground empire. They recruited others from the local community, including friends, neighbors, and even family members, creating a tight-knit organization that was as much a fraternity as it was a criminal enterprise. This is the story of the Cornbread Mafia, This is the story of how a bunch of good ol boys from the same rural county in central Kentucky built the biggest homegrown weed cartel in American history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:02:26

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The Human Trafficking Illegal Casino Kingpin Who May Have Been a Chinese Spy

12/9/2024
Alice Guo was a Philippine success story, a homeschooled farmhand who rose to become a millionaire business leader. But when Guo ran for mayor of the small town of Bamban in 2022, eyebrows were raised. Sure, she was rich: but how did Guo own a helicopter, $200,000 jewelry and a McLaren sports car? Perhaps she really was an industrial savant. Or perhaps there was something a little more sinister going on, perhaps something to do with the giant offshore gambling complex located a stone’s throw from her mayoral office? Raids and a spell on the run followed. Now Guo faces trial for crimes related to one of the most lucrative criminal markets on the planet. But there’s another question, with impacts far beyond Bamban, the Philippines or even Asia. For Merch: https://underworldpodcast.myshopify.com/ Prizepicks: Use Code UNDERWORLD for $50 free after a $5 bet: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/UNDERWORLD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:54:27

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The Lord High Executioner of Brooklyn: Albert Anastasia

12/2/2024
You don't earn a nickname like The Lord High Executioner by not killing a whole lot of people. And Albert Anastasia, one of the most psychotic gangsters to ever come out of New York City, was alleged to have participated in at least 60 murders as part of his role as one of the leaders of Murder, Inc., the hitmen organization that Lucky Luciano and the other members of The Commission tasked with doling out mafia justice. Anastasia's rise to power in the violent mob wars of the 1920's and 1930's is the stuff of mafia lore, but there is such as thing as being too violent, even for someone who became the boss of one of the five families. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:53:28

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The Sinaloa Cartel Civil War Raging in Mexico: Los Chapitos vs El Mayo w/Nathan Jones

11/26/2024
Sinaloa’s capital Culiacan is roiling with violence in the wake of El Mayo’s capture, and his alleged betrayal at the hands of the Chapitos. But the bloodshed is just part of an ever-changing drug landscape, that’s increasingly dominated by the Sinaloa factions and the CJNG. How do these two organizations work? How can they work together? And what on earth can Mexico’s new president do to stop the bullets from flying? Sean spoke to expert Nathan P. Jones to find out. MERCH: https://underworldpodcast.myshopify.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:01:02:19

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Griselda Blanco and Miami's Drug Wars: Netflix's New Narcos

1/23/2024
Dubbed the Cocaine Godmother and the Black Widow, Griselda Blanco rose to power when the cocaine boom was taking off and Colombian cartels started pumping product into the US, mainly through Miami. As the floodgates opened and tens of millions of dollars were being made on the streets, everyone wanted to be on top of pyramid, including Griselda...and she was more than willing to have people killed to get there, innocent or otherwise. Griselda's shooters turned Miami into a war zone as her Colombian connections in her hometown of Medellin got her a never-ending supply of the best product...but even the cartels soon tired of her recklessness and bloodthirsty methods. Now the inspiration for a new Netflix Series starring Sofia Vergara (call Sean!) Head to factormeals.com/underworld50 and use code underworld50 to get 50% off! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:48:38

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A Cop-Cartel Heist and Sky High Homicide Rates: What the Hell is Going on in Tijuana

1/16/2024
When a team of cops drove a truck laden with Sinaloa Cartel product out of a Tijuana warehouse in November, experts predicted violence even worse than the city had suffered in recent years, as roiling fentanyl and meth industries had made it Mexico’s most dangerous city by far. The reprisals began just hours later—and they still haven’t stopped. Now, with bodies piling, sex and people trafficking at all-time highs and the golden days of prohibition racetracks a more-than-distant memory, what on earth can be done to quell the killing? With Tijuana’s mayor holed up in an army barracks, perhaps not a lot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:51:53

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The Kingpin Behind Asia's Triad Super-Syndicate Cartel : Tse Chi Lop, with Josh Berlinger

1/9/2024
The mysterious Chinese-born criminal mastermind Tse Chi Lop didn't raise too many eyebrows when he was arrested in Canada in the 1990's for running heroin with the Hong Kong Triads known as the Big Circle Gang in a partnership with the Rizzuto family, a Canadian-Italian mafia clan. But after serving nearly a decade in prison, the laid back, soft-spoken and supremely confident drug lord went about setting up the biggest methamphetamine and synthetic drug cartel in Asia and some say, the world. Sitting atop Sam Gor, also known as the company, Chi Lop was apparently helping the Triad cartel bring in upwards of 17 billon dollars a year. Now awaiting trial in Australia after he was arrested in Amsterdam, what will Tse Chi Lop's trial reveal about the mysterious man alleged to be Asia's biggest drug lord? Reporter Josh Berlinger has been tracking him for years and brings us the story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:44:05

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New Years/Christmas Q + A!!!!!

1/2/2024
Danny and Sean jump in on all of your questions for this Christmas New Years week specia; Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:47:55

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The El Chapo of the Sahel, Africa's Desert Trafficking and the Sahara’s Most Dangerous Gangs

12/26/2023
We do Christmas shows different. Using ancient desert trade routes made famous by megarich kings, narcos, terrorists and arms traffickers have turned the Sahel region into one of the world’s deadliest drug caravans. In recent years cigarette traders, Tuareg separatists and religious rebels have coalesced into a giant, lucrative underworld. Among its key players, one man stands out—and though his career path is about as apocryphal as the average midnight mass, his impact is no less huge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Duration:00:54:46

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Rasta City vs The Muslims: Trinidad's Gang Wars and Abu Bakr's Attempted Coup

3/11/2021
In 1990, the tiny Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago saw the only attempted Islamic militant overthrow of a government in the Western Hemisphere. The coup led by Abu Bakr and his Jamaat Al Muslimeem followers failed, but many on the island see it as a turning point that has led the murder rate to increase by 400% over the last few decades. Now, a raging war between the Rasta City gang and the Muslims gang doesn't show sings of stopping as they battle over lucrative government contracts...

Duration:00:49:19

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How Albania's Mafias Took Over Europe (and more)

3/3/2021
The "Mafia Shqiptare" was forged during communism, exploded into life during a nationwide pyramid scheme, and unleashed a wave of drugs and violence across Europe from the late 90s. We dive into its most notorious bosses - and how gangs including the 'Hellbanianz' have taken over the UK's lucrative drug scene. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Duration:00:49:29

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Sicily's Brutal Wars and Mafia Super Trial

2/3/2021
The "Maxi Trial" pitted two fearless Palermo prosecutors and turncoat "Pentiti" against the Cosa Nostra, its thuggish leader Toto Riina, and a whole host of corrupt cops, politicians and businessmen. But when the judge handed down 344 guilty verdicts, the real chaos was just beginning. We dive into an era of Italian Mafia history—car bombs, daily hits, heroin billions—that looked more like war than organized crime. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out:...

Duration:00:39:53