Kingpins

Latest Episodes:

Best of 2019: “Freeway” Pt. 1: Rick Ross Dec 27, 2019

Show notes

Here’s one of our listeners’ most requested episodes of 2019: In the 1970s, cocaine was seen as a “rich man’s drug” — reserved for the wealthy elites in the Hollywood Hills. That is, until 1979, when 19-year-old Rick Ross found a way to market it to the masses in South Central LA.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

LAPD Gangster Squad Dec 20, 2019

Show notes

To surveil the seedy underworld of organized crime in the 1940s and 50s, a special undercover unit of the LAPD was created to track the city's most notorious gangsters, including Mickey Cohen and Jack Dragna.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Boss of All Bosses” Pt. 2: Carlo Gambino Dec 13, 2019

Show notes

He ruled his family with an iron fist. But among his peers, Carlo Gambino was considered so fair that when he became head of the Commission, he earned the title “Boss of All Bosses.” Throughout the 1960s and ’70s, no criminal decision passed without his say.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Boss of All Bosses” Pt. 1: Carlo Gambino Dec 06, 2019

Show notes

After growing up surrounded by the Sicilian mafia in the early 1900s, Carlo Gambino immigrated to America and put the knowledge to use. In an endless hail of bullets, Gambino solidified his status and reputation in the underworld.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Crazy as a Bedbug” Pt. 2: Bugsy Siegel Nov 29, 2019

Show notes

In 1940, after the charges against Siegel were dismissed for the murder of Harry Greenberg, he reinvented himself in the deserts of Las Vegas and began his sordid affair with Virginia Hill.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Crazy as a Bedbug” Pt. 1: Bugsy Siegel Nov 22, 2019

Show notes

No man was feared in New York during the 20s and 30s more than Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel. After teaming up with Meyer Lansky, Bugsy made his bones carrying out vicious murders for the mob.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Billionaire Boss” Pt. 2: Dawood Ibrahim Nov 15, 2019

Show notes

Even while he was on the run, Dawood Ibrahim continued to rule Mumbai's underworld with an iron fist. But as his riches increased, so did his appetite for violence. And in 1992, his operations expanded into terrorism.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Billionaire Boss” Pt. 1: Dawood Ibrahim Nov 08, 2019

Show notes

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Dawood Ibrahim, a young Muslim-born Indian would rise from a small time street thief to gang leader, bringing a more businesss-like—and ruthless—approach. And in the process, he would become one of the richest kingpins in history.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“The King of Cocaine” Pt. 4: Pablo Escobar Nov 01, 2019

Show notes

As the 90s approached, it was time for El Patron’s last stand. Many innocent Colombians would die in Pablo Escobar’s war against extradition before he finally reached a compromise with the government.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“The King of Cocaine” Pt. 3: Pablo Escobar Oct 25, 2019

Show notes

From multi-millionaire Colombian Congressman to political pariah—once Pablo Escobar’s criminal history was exposed, all bets were off. As his facade of legitimacy in the early 80s washed away, he vowed to take back control using the weapons he knew best: coercion, bribery and violence.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected