Organized Crime Podcast

In 1695, Henry Every joined forces with other pirate captains to pursue a wealthy Mughal treasure fleet in the Indian Ocean. Their coordinated pursuit led to a violent attack, an enormous theft, and a diplomatic crisis involving the English East India Company. The episode reveals how maritime criminals cooperated, shared opportunities, and dispersed after major robberies. Discover an early example of organized criminal collaboration on a global scale.

In 1980s New York City, pouring concrete for a major building could mean dealing with more than contractors, unions, and developers. Federal prosecutors alleged that organized-crime families manipulated parts of the construction industry through a system that became known as the Concrete Club. Contractors could face restricted competition, inflated costs, and payments designed to keep lucrative projects moving. The scheme demonstrated how organized crime could make money without operating an obviously illegal storefront. Behind the cranes, contracts, and concrete trucks was a hidden economy built on influence, intimidation, and control.

Organized crime cannot survive on violence alone. Behind trafficking networks are accountants, financial intermediaries, businesses, and record keepers responsible for controlling the money that keeps the organization functioning. This episode examines how cartel finances reveal hierarchy, relationships, and organizational structure—and why investigators often learn more about a criminal enterprise by following its money than by following its gunmen.

They ride low in the water, sometimes barely breaking the surface, and they're capable of hauling enormous quantities of cocaine across international waters undetected — the so-called narco submarines. This episode examines how these vessels sit at the intersection of drug trafficking, engineering, and sheer criminal ingenuity, ranging from crude jungle-built boats to sophisticated semi-submersibles that can travel thousands of miles. We break down why trafficking organizations turned to this method, how the vessels are actually constructed, and the tactics authorities use to try to find them. The bigger story here is adaptation — how quickly organized crime evolves once traditional smuggling routes start getting shut down.