logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2024
48m 3s

The Saga of Silk Road

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

The US government took a thumb in the eye with the creation of the Silk Road website. Right there on the internet you could anonymously buy drugs and various other contraband, and for a couple years no one could do a darn thing about it. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Today
The History of Fire
The first fires came from lightning strikes. After that, no one is super sure when we started controlling it and then later, starting our own. But it's sure fun to speculate!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
37m 22s
Mar 21
Selects: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Gin
If there's one thing we've learned about Chuck over the years it's that he loves his gin. And he loves it even more now that understands it. Pour yourself a martini and cozy up to the classic gin-cast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
49m 20s
Mar 20
Caterpillars: Nature's Magicians
Caterpillars are simply the best. Don't think so? Well listen in and you'll soon agree.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
47m 20s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2023
A Hacker Saved The Internet
From a young age, Marcus Hutchins had a preternatural talent for code. As his online renown grew, he found himself at a series of ethical crossroads— and always on the right side of the law. Yet everything changed in 2017, when a US-created weapon went public: he was the only one ... Show More
56m 53s
Jan 2025
FROM THE VAULT - Episode 291 - The Silk Road: Drugs, Data & The Dread Pirate Roberts
With Ross Ulbricht now a free man thanks to his recent presidential pardon we thought it would a good idea to look back at who he is, what he did, and what he represented as "The Dread Pirate Roberts". So enjoy our episode from all the way back in March 2023 for some all importan ... Show More
54m 55s
Sep 2024
Stories from the New Silk Road: Space
China's Belt and Road Initiative stretches physically with infrastructure projects across the globe, but there is one initiative that is the most ambitious yet - The Space Silk Road. The space race is heating up with new entrants like India and private companies like SpaceX, but ... Show More
26m 43s
Oct 2023
Strange News: Drug Cartels Ban Fentanyl, A Cure for Forever Chemicals, Bigfoot in Colorado and a Catalytic Conspiracy
Mexico's notorious Sinaloa cartel bans fentanyl -- promising gruesome consequences for anyone who doesn't comply. Traingoers may have encountered Bigfoot in Colorado. A California family is busted for running a multi-million dollar catalytic convertor smuggling ring, and a promis ... Show More
47m 7s
Apr 2025
Strange News: One Card To Rule Them All, Pop Culture and Space, Horrors of Kenyan Death Cults, and More
History's largest credit card merger looms on the horizon. Commentary on not-quite-space and a celebrity named Katy Perry. Ben takes the crew around the globe to learn more about wildlife piracy, the horrors of Kenyan cults, and the fascinating web of fentanyl, casinos, China and ... Show More
1h 4m
Nov 2024
The Troubled Border of Myanmar, Chapter Two: Slavery in the Information Age
Modern-day Myanmar remains home to a unique cultural heritage and stunning natural beauty -- yet today it's also home to a wide range of deeply disturbing conspiracies and crimes. In part two of this special two-part series, Ben and Matt explore the booming criminal industries of ... Show More
41m 38s
Jul 2025
Crack, Chaos, and Cartels: Rayful Edmond’s Empire
In the 1980's, Rayful Edmond rose to infamy as Washington D.C.’s most notorious crack kingpin, building a multimillion-dollar empire by the age of 19. At the height of his reign, D.C. became the murder capital of America, with crack cocaine fueling a deadly wave of violence and a ... Show More
55m 50s
Aug 2025
Drug Trafficking on the Dark Web
Ross Ulbricht built an empire in the shadows—a sprawling digital bazaar called The Silk Road, hidden on the dark web. There, drugs, weapons, and stolen secrets flowed freely, all paid for in untraceable cryptocurrency. To his global clientele, he was a legend: the Dread Pirate Ro ... Show More
40m 13s