Kingpins

Latest Episodes:

“Whitey” Pt. 1: James Bulger Oct 09, 2020

Show notes

On the brutal streets of South Boston, James "Whitey" Bulger knew that survival meant leaving nothing off the table. After doing time for bank robbery in 1956, Whitey didn't plan on rejoining the underworld. But a bloody Irish gang war put Whitey on the path to Boston gangland supremacy. And he would do anything to hold onto that power... even ratting to the FBI.

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“Merchant of Death” Pt. 2: Viktor Bout Oct 02, 2020

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By the end of the 1990s, Bout’s fingerprints were on almost every conflict in Africa. After 9/11, he saw an opportunity to capitalize on the turmoil in the Middle East—and earned another nickname: The Lord of War.

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“Merchant of Death” Pt. 1: Viktor Bout Sep 25, 2020

Show notes

When the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990s, there was a surplus of weapons and cargo planes collecting dust. One Russian government worker, Viktor Bout, saw the potential of all that discarded equipment. Within a few short years, Bout became one of the most infamous arms dealers in the world.

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“Lord High Executioner” Pt. 2: Albert Anastasia Sep 18, 2020

Show notes

During the 1930s, Albert Anastasia was the leader of Murder Inc., the mafia’s crew of contract killers. But after World War II, he shot his way to the top to become the boss of one of New York’s Five Families. Unfortunately for him, the Feds were more determined than ever to keep the notorious killer in prison for good.

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“Lord High Executioner” Pt. 1: Albert Anastasia Sep 11, 2020

Show notes

By the time he immigrated to America just after World War I, Albert Anastasia knew that if he wanted to climb the ranks of New York's underworld, he would have to get his hands dirty.

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“Prince Prosperous” Pt. 3: Khun Sa Sep 04, 2020

Show notes

Forced out of Thailand by his Thai benefactors and the Americans, Khun Sa retreated back to Burma. Once again, he wasted no time in rebuilding his empire and making deals with the Burmese military dictatorship. But in the early 1990s, the various Southeast Asian countries decided that they had had enough of Khun Sa, forcing him to make one final deal.

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“Prince Prosperous” Pt. 2: Khun Sa Aug 28, 2020

Show notes

Suddenly under arrest, Khun Sa was forced to rebuild his empire from behind prison walls in Manderlay. He solidified his position as one of the leading drug lords in the Golden Triangle with a daring escape, rebranding himself in the process as a Shan nationalist fighting for separation from Burma.

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“Prince Prosperous” Pt. 1: Khun Sa Aug 21, 2020

Show notes

By the early 1950s, the teenaged Khun Sa was already a militia leader in war-torn northeast Burma (present-day Myanmar). Over the next decade, his power as a warlord only increased. When the Burmese government came to him with an offer of allyship, he set himself up to become the “Opium King” of the Golden Triangle.

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“The Cocky Watchman” Pt. 2: Curtis Warren Aug 14, 2020

Show notes

In 1993, Warren handily beat a drug trafficking charge brought against him by British authorities. He spent the next three years rebuilding—and expanding—his empire, importing and exporting drugs all over the world, until Dutch authorities helped bring him down.

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“The Cocky Watchman” Pt. 1: Curtis Warren Aug 07, 2020

Show notes

After a five-year stint in prison, Curtis Warren emerged stronger, sharper, and more connected. By 1989, he was selling cocaine and ecstasy in Liverpool, and building a network that included the biggest names in the Turkish mafia, Moroccan cartel, even the Triads…

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