201 episodes
The Underworld Podcast Underworld Subscribers +
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- Society & Culture
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4.7 • 636 Ratings
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Underworld exposes the secret world of transnational criminal networks that have flourished since there were banks to bust, drugs to smuggle, and scams to run. Journalists Danny Gold and Sean Williams bring their experience reporting on dangerous people and organizations to take listeners on a global tour of mobsters, warlords and crooks - from Brooklyn to Beijing, from the streets to the boardrooms - and everywhere in between. Underworld is a show about heroes, villains, and the barely visible mafias that affect all our lives, whether we know it or not.
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The Gangster Warlords of Haiti's Collapse with Jason Motlagh
Haiti's gangs have effectively taken over the country, plunging into chaos and violence as warring gangster warlords like the infamous Barbeque fight for territorial control. In February gangs stormed police stations, shot up the airport and freed thousands of prisoners after storming the country's biggest prisons, causing a humanitarian crisis. Things have gotten so bad that Kenya is sending in 1,000 police officers to try to regain some sort of control.
We're joined by reporter Jason Motlagh, who's been reporting down there for years and has hung out with Barbeque before.
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El Mayo: The Undisputed King of Mexico & the Betrayal of El Chapo
In the late 2000's, the Mexico government put together a list of dozens of Narco kingpins it wanted to bring down. Only one name from that list is not imprisoned or dead, and still sitting stop the Mexican cartel world: El Mayo. Nearing 80, he's never so much as been arrested despite co-founding and then co-leading the Sinaloa cartel for decades.
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El Chapo's Boss & The Most Powerful Kingpin in Mexico: El Mayo
Everyone knows El Chapo, the infamous leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, one time most powerful kingpin that Mexico has ever seen. The man who revolutionized the Mexican cartels' drug trade. But...what if he never actually was at the top of the food chain?
Some have long suspected that the head of the Sinaloa cartel has always been Ismael Zambada Garcia, also known as El Mayo. Nearing his 80's, little is known about his early life, but he's always managed to stay two steps ahead of the cartel wars and the police. He's never been arrested. He's always played the background, avoiding the spotlight and letting Chapo get the notoriety even though they cofounded and shared leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel.
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BONUS: Jacob Kushner on the German Bank-Robbing Terror Gang that Evaded Justice For Over a Decade
BONUS: Jacob Kushner on the German Bank-Robbing Terror Gang that Evaded Justice For Over a Decade
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Andrew Tate & the Romanian Mob: A Match Made in Criminal Heaven
With influencer and living meme Andrew Tate about to face trial in Romania, we dive into his connections to a powerful pair of Mafia brothers and their casino empire—and how the Tates pivoted from MMA to a gang that has terrorized the European nation for years.
We also go deep on the history of Romanian organized crime, from Ponzi schemes to ATM skimming gangs and Europe’s biggest human trafficking syndicate—and show how Romania and the Tates had been on a criminal collision course for decades
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BONUS: The Most Corrupt Cop in NYC History with Steve Fishman
Steve Fishman joins us to discuss his new podcast The Burden, which tells the story of Louis Scarcella. Scarcella was one of the NYPD's top cops in the crazy violent days of the 1990's, so much so that he appeared on talk shows like Dr. Phil as a master at getting confessions. But his sterling record began to unravel as reporters and a team of jailhouse lawyers started looking closer. Fishman was able to get rare access to Scarcella in the making of the podcast. Listen now:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-burden/id1734312219
Customer Reviews
5 stars
These boys have grown on me.
Quite literally the best podcast
No question, this is my favorite podcast available. The well-researched, well-written deep dives into the inter workings of transnational criminal organizations is informative and entertaining. A great mix of current events and historical subjects from all around the world.
The Underworld Podcast is the only podcast to which I subscribe on Patreon, and I value that subscription more than most video streaming services.
Their work has led me down deep rabbit holes of Danny Gold’s documentary work and Sean Williams’s long form work (the Purple Haze episode and article are both top-tier work).
Fellas, keep up the great work. And also to answer a recent question on the show: more of the current underworld (cartels, triads, narco states, and street gangs) from far-flung lands, and keep the same amount of the old American mafia stories.
Great podcast! Highly recommend!
I recently came across this podcast and I’m really enjoying it so far. The episodes’ subject matter is intriguing and they include so many details you probably haven’t heard before, even if you’re familiar with the topics they cover. The research goes deep and the episodes go by quickly, they never drag. I highly recommend listening, especially if you like podcasts about the world’s dark underbelly: crime, drugs, cartels, etc.