In the early years of the Mexican drug world, there were no cartels - there were only kingpins. The border region was a lawless desert governed by bloody shootouts, crooked cops, and folk-hero bandits. And to rule an old-fashioned frontier, it takes an old-fashioned outlaw.
Parcast - Subscribe to our new show Hostage! Head to Parcast.com/Hostage now so you ... Show More
Dec 2020
LA County Sheriff’s Gangs Pt. 3: Wild West Roots/Jump Out Boys
By the 1850s, Los Angeles was one of the most dangerous places to live in the West. Extrajudicial killings, unchecked racial violence, and vigilante groups like the Los Angeles Rangers prevailed. This “Wild West” culture seeped into and was propagated by the Sheriff’s Department ... Show More
40m 51s
Mar 2022
PATREON TEASER: A Former Gangster on his Life in Belize City's Crips - and how Cartels are Changing Everything
Here's a little teaser from this week's patreon episode, with Sean on the ground in Belize doing a bigger story and sharing some of his work along the way. To get access to bonus episodes for $5 a month, go to www.patreon.com/theunderworldpodcast "John" grew up on the violent Sou ... Show More
10m 41s
Mar 2021
El Chapo Part 3: Showdown at the Border
After escaping a hit at Guadalajara Airport, El Chapo disappears from view. Acting on a tip-off, the authorities close in on a hotel in the border town of Tapachula. Returned home in handcuffs, Chapo can look forward to a lengthy stay at a top-security penitentiary. But he'll soo ... Show More
37m 2s
Dec 2020
LA County Sheriff’s Gangs Pt. 3: Wild West Roots/Jump Out Boys
By the 1850s, Los Angeles was one of the most dangerous places to live in the West. Extrajudicial killings, unchecked racial violence, and vigilante groups like the Los Angeles Rangers prevailed. This “Wild West” culture seeped into and was propagated by the Sheriff’s Department ... Show More
40m 51s
Mar 2021
El Chapo Part 7: The Curtain Falls?
A desperate flight through a sewage pipe is not enough to deliver El Chapo to freedom. Arrested and extradited to the United States, his story closes in a packed Brooklyn courtroom, in front of the world’s media. But even as Chapo departs the stage, Mexico remains under siege fro ... Show More
35m 8s