Leslie "Ike" Atkinson rose from Army sergeant to international casino hustler, to Bangkok bar owner and quarterback of one of the biggest heroin smuggling rings in history. Recruiting disillusioned black Vietnam vets from his Harlem-themed joint, Ike trafficked billions of dollars of ultra-pure Golden Triangle dope into the States - right under the nose of U ... Show More
Aug 19
Fidel Castro: Cuba’s Cocaine Trafficker-in-Chief?
In 1959, when Fidel Castro’s revolutionaries toppled Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, they wasted no time booting out American business owners, casinos and drug kingpins — much to the delight of US law enforcers. But as time passed, and Castro’s socialist regime sought ever-tric ... Show More
1h 4m
Aug 12
The Dixie Mafia's Texas Millionaire Murders
When Bill Richardson, a troubled oilman and pro pigeon shooter, was gunned down on his Corpus Christi doorstep in 1971, everybody assumed it was an open-and-shut organized crime hit. But when Richardson’s supposed killers walked free from court, and another body showed up in the ... Show More
1h 5m
Aug 5
Mexico's New Ultraviolent Narco-Terrorists: The CDN
From the ashes of Los Zetas rose the Cartel del Noreste or Northeast Cartel, a brutal splinter group led by the infamous Treviño Morales family and headquartered in the blood-soaked border city of Nuevo Laredo. Known for their military tactics, narco-tanks, and paramilitary wing ... Show More
54m 56s
Mar 2021
Our Thing with Sammy The Bull - S1 Episode 8: My Crew
Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano (born March 12, 1945) is an American gangster who became the underboss of the Gambino crime family. This is his story. Directed by James Carroll.
After a difficult but successful commission hit, Sammy tells us about his loyal, incredible crew.
51m 59s
Dec 2021
Meth in the Badlands: The Story of Pastor Al Peratt
Al Peratt’s trafficking career started when he was in the military: legal clerk by day, hashish dealer at night. The gig turned to heroin, and after a lengthy prison sentence, to dealing meth in San Diego’s biker scene. He later fled the city—but not his old habits. In the Black ... Show More
45m 30s
Mar 2023
A Smuggler’s Loyalty - MIM B7
Bonus 7: In 1979, a joint DEA/FBI task force in Miami busted the Black Tuna Gang, a major marijuana smuggling ring responsible for bringing 500 tons of marijuana into the United States over a 16-month period. Black Tuna’s leader, Bobby Platshorn, shares the set-up that led to his ... Show More
5m 26s
Dec 2020
Cocaine Captain: The Story of JC Perez
Cocaine production is at an all-time high, but it came to fame in the Miami Vice era of the 1980’s with the help of the “Cocaine Cowboys.” In this episode, Mariana sits down with JC Perez, who piloted cocaine smuggling runs for one of the biggest bosses in the business. Over the ... Show More
50m 16s