Car bombs, shoulder-fired missiles, grenades and hits across 5 continents; the Israeli mafias that rose up in the 90's and fought each other for control of gambling and drug rackets for the following decades are among the most sophisticated in the world. At one point, they controlled 80% of the world's global ecstasy trade and partnered with street gangs in ... Show More
Feb 17
The First Gangster Kingpin of New York
Monk Eastman ruled the depraved streets of turn-of-the-century Manhattan with fists and absolutely zero regard for human life, commanding an army of 1,200 thugs who terrorized the Lower East Side. At the height of his power, he was pulling cash from every racket you could think o ... Show More
1h 3m
Feb 10
The OG Yakuza Godfather, Kazuo Taoka
Orphaned and kicked out of work, Kazuo Taoka was an unlikely candidate to become one of postwar Japan’s most important characters. But by combining violence with a talent for legitimate business and corruption, the immaculately-suited gangster would lead the Yamaguchi-gumi yakuza ... Show More
1h 2m
Aug 2023
Episode 348: The truth behind the world of money laundering, drugs and international narco-terrorism
An intrepid Irish American cop joins the dots between Hezbollah, Syrian Dictator Bashar Al Assad’s brutal war, and some of Europe’s biggest drug lords.It sounds the plot from an episode of Homelands but it’s all true and forms the incredible geo political story that plays out on ... Show More
47m 37s
Jan 2021
Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy
In the early 1980s, the crack epidemic tore through America like a tsunami, ravaging all in its wake. And the destructive effects on people's lives, families, and communities are still deeply felt decades later. “Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy” examines the drug’s devast ... Show More
28m 59s
Jan 2018
E78: Wall Street Bombings
On September 16, 1920, an explosion went off at 23 Wall Street, killing 38 people and injuring hundreds more. But no one knew who set off the bomb, or why. We explore the political and financial turmoil that may have inspired the attack, and we look into the man who warned New Yo ... Show More
42m 8s
Feb 2022
Crime and Terror in South America
South America’s Tri-Border Area has been described as “the United Nations of crime.” Along the porous borders of Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil, counterfeiters scheme, narco-traffickers move product and launder funds, and criminals sell fake or stolen goods on the open market. S ... Show More
35m 50s
Mar 2024
How Israel tests its weapons in Gaza then sells them to the world | Antony Loewenstein
In this episode of The Big Picture Podcast, we sit down with investigative journalist Antony Loewenstein to talk about how for decades, Israel used its occupation of Palestinians as a testing ground for new weaponry, which it then packages and sells to governments around the worl ... Show More
1h 5m
Apr 2024
The Mad Gasser of Mattoon
In September 1944, as World War II raged overseas, the small town of Mattoon, Illinois felt under attack. Dozens of people reported smelling a sickening sweet odor drift into their bedroom at night. It allegedly smelled like gardenias and left them feeling ill and, in some cases, ... Show More
36m 57s