By 2012, undercover DEA agents had cracked holes in an underground criminal conspiracy. It was the “Amazon.com of Drugs” – the Silk Road. But to take down its shadowy founder, they’d have to team up with a surprising number of federal agencies – and go to criminal lengths themselves.
The audiobook edition of American Kingpin by Nick Bilton is available for ... Show More
Aug 13
Was the “Pirate King” also the King’s Spy?
In 1695, “The Pirate King” Henry Every pulled off a heist, evaded a global manhunt, and vanished with his newfound treasure. He was never found…or was he? A new theory suggests the King of England not only knew what happened to Henry – he hired the “missing” pirate as a spy. Keep ... Show More
43m 16s
Aug 6
Japan’s Evaporated People
Imagine you wake up tomorrow and the person you depend upon most in this world is gone. No trace, no goodbyes, just vanished. Then, you find out they planned their disappearance — and have no intention of returning. In Japan, this phenomenon has a name: Johatsu, or “evaporated pe ... Show More
44m 36s
Jun 2024
Silk Road: Murder, Drugs & Crypto
In this RE-RELEASE episode, Tess takes us through the journey of Ross Ulbricht’s founding of Silk Road, the dark web known as “the Amazon for drugs.” Meant to be a place for buyers and sellers to conduct marijuana transactions using Bitcoin, it quickly escalated to offering hard ... Show More
1h 28m
Mar 2023
Episode 291 - The Silk Road: Drugs, Data & The Dread Pirate Roberts
For some, the end of the world's most infamous online marketplace was a major victory in the never ending war on drugs. But for others, the global, multi-agency investigation into the Silk Road set a dangerous precedent for law enforcement – who rifled through the personal data o ... Show More
53m 4s