If you enjoy the true stories told in Dictators, check out this episode from our series Kingpins: How did Manuel Noriega rise from nothing to become the drug-smuggling, secret-selling, military dictator of Panama in the 1980s? He had a great deal of help from the American CIA.
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Nov 2022
Thanksgiving Special: Just Add Arsenic
Over the ages, arsenic has had many lives — beauty fad, household product, medical prescription… and weapon of choice wielded by killers everywhere from Alabama to ancient Rome. Brine your turkey, knead your dough, and listen to our Thanksgiving Special on the regime-changing, as ... Show More
42m 41s
Jun 2023
Manuel Noriega Part 1: The Narco Dictator
For two decades, Manuel Noriega stamped his authority on Panama - first as the country’s brutal intelligence chief, and later, from 1983-89, as its de facto military ruler. A gangster up to his neck in drug trafficking, gun running and organised crime. But also, a key asset of th ... Show More
1h 4m
Aug 2020
Episode 8: The Political Shitstorm
Word gets out that the smugglers have a silent partner who is none other than Manuel Noriega – the ruler of Panama, a close ally, and a top CIA asset. The three kingpins (Leigh Ritch, Mike Vogel, and Steven Kalish) all testify before Congress. Noriega is indicted in federal court ... Show More
30m 56s
Aug 2020
Episode 6: The Silent Partner
As Ned is in Grand Cayman working undercover to investigate Leigh Ritch, he hears talk about a “general” sometimes called “Pineapple Face.” That can only be the Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, who, it turns out, has effectively become the syndicate's launderer and protector. ... Show More
37m 4s
Apr 2020
Pablo Escobar Part 1: Baptism of Fire
In the 1980s, a new generation of American special agents lands in Colombia, tasked with capturing the most infamous cocaine trafficker on the planet: Pablo Escobar. We’re embedded with the DEA as they track down a man who blows up commercial airplanes, bombs civilians and murder ... Show More
31m 43s