He’s a recluse, a cockfighting high-roller, a former cop and a maniac. But will Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, aka El Mencho, do what he’s been threatening for years and become the most powerful cartel boss on the planet? From avocados to abogados, weed to coke to fentanyl, Mencho is a narco so bloodthirsty his men are compared to ISIS. Can the Mexican state cu ... 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
Jan 2024
El Chapo: Cocaine kingpin
The story of Mexican drug lord Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, better known as El Chapo, the leader of one of the world’s most prolific, violent and powerful drug cartels.BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng follow El Chapo from childhood in the Mexican moun ... Show More
50m 48s
Feb 2021
El Chapo Part 1: Public Enemy Number One
El Chapo: the scourge of Mexico and America’s most-wanted. Joaquín Guzmán Loera, to use his real name, escaped from custody multiple times and dodged death many more. For years, he rode roughshod over Mexican justice and evaded the long arm of the US Government. He became an A-li ... Show More
38m 39s
Jul 2020
“El Chapo” Pt. 1: Joaquín Guzmán
Before he became the most powerful drug cartel leader in the world, building tunnels to evade authorities and growing his power even from inside prison, Joaquín Guzmán Loera was a small-town marijuana farmer in Sinaloa, Mexico. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoic ... Show More
40m 40s
Feb 2021
El Chapo Part 2: The Tunnel King
In the early 1980s, Chapo Guzmán is still in his mid-20s. But he’s already grabbed the attention of the Guadalajara Kingpin. Promoted to the Cartel's inner circle, he uses tunnels, ships and even submarines to transport contraband. Chapo assumes personal control of Sinaloa State ... Show More
41m 12s
Jan 2023
#46 Ioan Grillo - Cartel Wars & The Fentanyl Crisis
Cartels, drugs, money, corruption—author and award winning journalist Ioan Grillo has seen it all in his twenty-plus years' of covering Latin America. In this episode, we cover the unprecedented violence that broke out in the city of Culiacán after Mexican authorities recaptured ... Show More
3 h