If you enjoy the true stories told in Dictators, check out this episode from our series Kingpins: He was the Panamanian politician who ran one of the most successful drug and gun trafficking rings in the world in the 1970s and 80s—until an American coup brought him down.
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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
Jan 2021
Introducing: Real Narcos Season 2 - Félix Gallardo
From the creators of Real Dictators comes Real Narcos, the show that takes you to the front line of the war on drugs. For Season 2, we're in Mexico. In 1985, Kiki Camarena is a US DEA agent on the trail of Félix Gallardo - the man known as the Mexican Godfather. But Camarena's ki ... Show More
40m 19s
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 2025
75. The Hunt for Pablo Escobar: The War on Drugs (Ep 2)
In the early 1980s, Pablo Escobar reinvented himself. He was no longer just the man who could smuggle tonnes of cocaine into Miami - he was the successful businessman, the philanthropist, the proud family man. To the poor, he built homes and football fields. To the powerful, he o ... Show More
56m 9s
Dec 2020
Cocaine Captain: The Story of JC Perez
Cocaine production is at an all-time high, but it came to fame in the Miami Vice era of the 1980’s with the help of the “Cocaine Cowboys.” In this episode, Mariana sits down with JC Perez, who piloted cocaine smuggling runs for one of the biggest bosses in the business. Over the ... Show More
49m 16s
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