Innocent people are getting murdered. Lawyers live in safehouses, and a princess is in hiding. This is Europe today—it just might be the world’s next narco-stat...
Introducing The Illuminator: Art, Conspiracy and Madness
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Mark Lombardi, a conceptual artist on the cusp of international success, had everything to live for. So why was the 48-year-old found hanged and deemed suicidal? Was his death the ultimate conceptual art, an afterlife laugh at those who doubted his brilliance? He did, after all, carry business cards eerily portending "death defying acts of art and conspiracy."
Or was he ultimately overwhelmed by the subject of his work: the financial networks connecting some of the most powerful and corrupt people on earth?
His intricate drawings traced hot money, from Cold War funding to the heroin trade. But his most dogged scrutiny fell on the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, a global money laundry bankrolling fraudsters, smugglers, and CIA operations abroad. Since his death, Lombardi's masterwork on the rogue bank has been held at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Could it be responsible for his demise? The answer can only be found within Lombardi himself.
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2:38
Ridouan Taghi Gets Life: An Update From The Marengo Trial
It’s been a couple of months since the last episode of Gateway: Cocaine, Murders & Dirty Money in Europe, but business is busy as ever in the world of global drug trafficking. This week, we wanted to share an important update with fans of the series: Ridouan Taghi has been sentenced.
If you listened to Gateway, you’ll know Taghi rose to become a ruthless ruler of the underworld. But in February 2024, the cocaine kingpin was finally toppled for good when he was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Netherlands. In an interview for the Whale Hunting podcast, Gateway host Mitch Prothero spoke to Bradley Hope on the latest developments, including Taghi’s mega-trial in ‘ze Bunker’, and why shows like Narcos no longer capture the reality of modern cocaine trafficking. We wanted to share this interview here, too.
To discover Ridouan Taghi's story from the very beginning, listen to episode one of Gateway: Cocaine, Murder and Dirty Money in Europe. For more episodes like this one, make sure to follow the Whale Hunting podcast – and you can subscribe to our newsletter at whalehunting.projectbrazen.com.
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36:43
Ep 6. Into the Bunker | Europe
Gateway host Mitchell Prothero visits “The Bunker” where Taghi is the star defendant in the largest criminal trial in Dutch history. As Taghi faces justice, his impact spreads far beyond the courtroom. Who will be the next kingpin to replace him?
This is GATEWAY, a six-part podcast from Project Brazen revealing the rise of a new generation of cocaine kingpins in Europe.
Gateway is a Project Brazen production. Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts or at brazen.fm/plus and get exclusive bonus episodes, ad-free listening and early access to new podcasts.
For more fearless storytelling, visit brazen.fm, home to all our podcasts, documentaries and newsletters. At Brazen, we show you how the world really works – from espionage and corruption to deal-making and organised crime, we’ll take you inside stories from hidden worlds.
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19:31
Ep 5. On Bended Knee is No Way to be Free | Peter R De Vries
Dutch TV journalist Peter R De Vries is famous for cracking the criminal cases that no one else can. But with Ridouan Taghi, Peter meets his match. When Peter joins crown witness Nabil B’s legal team, he crosses a line that Taghi can’t accept.
This is GATEWAY, a six-part podcast from Project Brazen revealing the rise of a new generation of cocaine kingpins in Europe.
Gateway is a Project Brazen production. Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts or at brazen.fm/plus and get exclusive bonus episodes, ad-free listening and early access to new podcasts.
For more fearless storytelling, visit brazen.fm, home to all our podcasts, documentaries and newsletters. At Brazen, we show you how the world really works – from espionage and corruption to deal-making and organised crime, we’ll take you inside stories from hidden worlds.
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20:18
Ep 4. The Crown Witness | Nabil B
After a killing goes horribly wrong, Nabil B, one of Ridouan Taghi’s close associates, finds himself torn between family and Taghi. Fearing for his life, Nabil B makes a fateful choice. He walks into a Dutch police station and unspools Taghi’s secrets. Another mistaken killing leads to Taghi’s arrest in Dubai and he ends up where he began so many years before—in The Netherlands. He becomes the star defendant in the largest criminal trial in Dutch history. The crown witness for the government is Taghi’s close associate, Nabil B.
This is GATEWAY, a six-part podcast from Project Brazen revealing the rise of a new generation of cocaine kingpins in Europe.
Gateway is a Project Brazen production. Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts or at brazen.fm/plus and get exclusive bonus episodes, ad-free listening and early access to new podcasts.
For more fearless storytelling, visit brazen.fm, home to all our podcasts, documentaries and newsletters. At Brazen, we show you how the world really works – from espionage and corruption to deal-making and organised crime, we’ll take you inside stories from hidden worlds.
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Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/
About Gateway: Cocaine, Murder, & Dirty Money in Europe
Innocent people are getting murdered. Lawyers live in safehouses, and a princess is in hiding. This is Europe today—it just might be the world’s next narco-state. Over the past decade, the historic European ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp have turned into global gateways for cocaine. Think Miami in the 1980s — but with even more drugs, and much shittier weather. In this six-part podcast series from Brazen, host Mitchell Prothero explores Europe’s cocaine crisis through the dramatic stories of cartel leaders, cops, journalists, and the victims caught in the middle. From RPG attacks on newspaper offices to the slaughter of entire families, the war on drugs has arrived on Europe’s shores. And a lot of people are making a lot of dirty money. Reporting from Antwerp and Amsterdam, Brazen goes deep inside this crazy under-reported story. Gateway is a Project Brazen production. For more fearless storytelling, search for the Brazen channel on Apple Podcasts or visit brazen.fm, home to all our podcasts, documentaries and newsletters. At Brazen, we show you how the world really works – from espionage and corruption to deal-making and organised crime, we’ll take you inside stories from hidden worlds. Don’t stay in the dark. Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts or at brazen.fm/plus and get exclusive bonus episodes, as well as ad-free listening and early access to new shows. For the latest from Brazen delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters at brazen.fm/newsletters.
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Ireland