Today we share an episode of a new podcast series called Trafficked, hosted by National Geographic Channel’s Mariana van Zeller. The series pulls back the curtain on the people operating trafficking rings and shadow economies. In this episode, Mariana sits down with country rapper Struggle Jennings. An outlaw country rapper—and the grandson of country music ... Show More
Jul 2023
Trapped in the icy waters of the Northwest Passage
For centuries, the Northwest Passage, the long-sought sea route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through northern Canada, was a holy grail of Arctic exploration. Even now, sailing through it isn’t guaranteed. Mark Synnott, a National Geographic Explorer, writer, and adv ... Show More
34m 16s
Jul 2023
Playback: Modern Lives, Ancient Caves
There’s a lost continent waiting to be explored, and it’s right below our feet. We’ll dig into the deep human relationship to the underground—and why we understand it from an instinctive point of view, but not so much from a physical one. (Hint: We’re afraid of the dark.) In an e ... Show More
28m 39s
Jun 2023
Playback: This Indigenous Practice Fights Fire with Fire
For decades, the U.S. government evangelized fire suppression, most famously through Smokey Bear’s wildfire prevention campaign. But as climate change continues to exacerbate wildfire seasons and a growing body of scientific research supports using fire to fight fire, Indigenous ... Show More
29m 8s
Nov 2021
Coming soon: Trafficked Season 2
The companion podcast to National Geographic’s Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller. In season two, investigative journalist Mariana van Zeller goes deep with masterminds behind black markets and underground economies, including illegal plastic surgery, meth labs fueling America’s ... Show More
2m 11s
Dec 2021
Meth in the Badlands: The Story of Pastor Al Peratt
Al Peratt’s trafficking career started when he was in the military: legal clerk by day, hashish dealer at night. The gig turned to heroin, and after a lengthy prison sentence, to dealing meth in San Diego’s biker scene. He later fled the city—but not his old habits. In the Black ... Show More
45m 30s
Oct 2022
The Mystery of the Man Who Died Twice
A dead body turns up with a stolen identity. We tell the story of how a grandmother tracked down the truth — and helped create a whole new and controversial world of crime fighting. To tell this story, we talk to U.S. Marshal Peter Elliott, Dr. Margaret Press, and Phil Nichols. [ ... Show More
41m 32s