El Salvador's warring street gangs-turned-armies may have finally been broken thanks to the heavy-handed policies of Nayib Bukele dumping anyone and everyone into prison. But before MS-13 and 18th Street had been taken down a notch, they ruled neighborhoods in El Salvador with a brutality rarely seen. It's not just face tattoos and machetes. We break down th ... Show More
Jul 7
The Last Don: The Godfather Who Turned Rat
In 1992, the New York Mafia is falling apart. The Gambinos are in chaos, the Colombos are at war, the Genoveses are hiding behind Chin Gigante’s bathrobe act, and the Bonannos—the forgotten, disgraced family left for dead after the Donnie Brasco disaster—are waiting on one man: J ... Show More
55m 38s
Jun 30
The Rise of China’s Biggest Mob Boss EVER
Born into a peasant family on the outskirts of Shanghai, Du Yuesheng grew up an inveterate gambler and opium addict. But as he forged alliances in the growing metropolis’ underworld, members of a secret society-turned-cartel saw promise. Before long, ‘Big Ears Du’ was running gam ... Show More
54m 46s
Aug 2022
MS-13 Pt. 1: Transnational Street Gang
By cult standards, they aren’t one. But MS-13 does share a common language with even the most insidious fringe groups. Bound by loyalty, ideology, and power, the members of MS-13 make up one of the most dangerous gangs to ever exist. And it all started on the streets of Los Angel ... Show More
41m 9s
Dec 2020
LA County Sheriff’s Gangs Pt. 5: The East LA Banditos
In East LA, a group of deputies named the Banditos stand accused of running the sheriff’s substation like a gang, institutionalizing a culture of fear and retaliation. And while they’re intimidating civilians and colleagues alike, they may be protected by the very top of the depa ... Show More
42m 55s
Dec 2020
LA County Sheriff’s Gangs Pt. 5: The East LA Banditos
In East LA, a group of deputies named the Banditos stand accused of running the sheriff’s substation like a gang, institutionalizing a culture of fear and retaliation. And while they’re intimidating civilians and colleagues alike, they may be protected by the very top of the depa ... Show More
42m 51s
Dec 2020
LA County Sheriff’s Gangs Pt. 5: The East LA Banditos
In East LA, a group of deputies named the Banditos stand accused of running the sheriff’s substation like a gang, institutionalizing a culture of fear and retaliation. And while they’re intimidating civilians and colleagues alike, they may be protected by the very top of the depa ... Show More
42m 51s
Feb 2024
El Salvador Decimated Gangs. But at What Cost?
<p>El Salvador has experienced a remarkable transformation. What had once been one of the most violent countries in the world has become incredibly safe.</p><p>Natalie Kitroeff, the New York Times bureau chief for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, discusses the cost of t ... Show More
29m 7s