Narco Warriors: Secrets From The Global Drug War

Narco Warriors is taking a summer break, but Season 2 is coming in the autumn, and it's bigger than ever. Lindsay Charlton previews what's ahead: the scale of today's drug trade, what modern law enforcement is actually doing (and whether it's working), and a special episode diving deep into legalisation, with voices on both sides of the argument. If you're new to the show, all 21 episodes of Season 1 are available now on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.These are the Narco Warriors.

You probably walk past it every day without knowing...Every drug empire produces one thing above all else: cash. Mountains of it. The International Monetary Fund estimates that between two and five trillion dollars is laundered around the world every year - and at least half a trillion comes from the drug trade alone. But how do you clean dirty money?From the black market ‘peso exchange’ to purpose-built deposit windows at high street banks, offshore shell companies, and cryptocurrency: the methods have evolved, but the goal never changes. In this episode, we follow the money with three men who spent careers tracking it: Terry Burke, former head of security at the Bank of England; Martin Dubbey, former UK customs drug liaison officer; and Phil Matthews, who worked the money trail from Washington alongside the DEA, FBI and CIA.And the answer to where the money hides might surprise you. It could be the nail bar on the corner. The barber shop you walk past every day. It could be your high street.But the cartels didn’t always have it their own way. Here’s the real sting from the investigstors on the front lines. These are the Narco Warriors.New episodes every Monday.

This is what it means for British drug liaison officers who live with the beast.By the mid-1990s, a small and largely unknown cadre of British customs officers were living and working at the heart of the global cocaine trade. Not in surveillance vans in south London, but in Colombia, sending their children to school in armored cars, carrying sidearms for protection, and running informants in a country where the choice for many was simple: “lead or silver.”In this episode, insider Steve Reynolds takes us inside the Drug Liaison Officer network at its most intense. The brutality of the Cali and Medellin cartels, and the operation that put seven and a half tonnes of cocaine on the front pages of every Spanish newspaper. A record that stood for more than 25 years.Joining Reynolds are Narco Warriors resident experts Phil Matthews and Graham Honey, two of the most senior figures ever to run Britain's drug intelligence operations abroad.These are the Narco Warriors.New Episodes every Monday.

In April 2026, Europol announced the interception of eight vessels in the Atlantic. Eleven tonnes of cocaine were seized, and 54 people were arrested. They called it a cocaine highway - a sophisticated network moving drugs from Latin America to Europe, deliberately circumventing major ports to avoid detection.It sounded new and unprecedented. But it wasn't.25 years earlier, a team of British and American investigators ran one of the most ambitious international drug enforcement operations ever mounted against the South American cartels. They called it Operation Journey. And this is the story told by the people who lived it.Graham Honey was the British customs investigator who coordinated the operation from a desk in London, running weekly intelligence meetings that combined the DEA, U.S. Customs, British intelligence, and the Royal Navy. He spent two years of his life helping build the case.Nigel Brooks was the U.S. customs special agent who became Graham's closest transatlantic ally. He ran the intelligence operation from Houston, protected a source whose life depended on secrecy, and held back pressure from his own side to blow the operation early. Alberto Morales is the commissioner in charge of the drug unit of the Spanish National Police. He's been fighting the Galician cocaine networks since 1999, the same coastline where Operation Journey's shipments were headed. He explains why Spain is only the door, not the destination.And Luis Navia, one of the men they were hunting, who helped build a shadow shipping network out of Greece, and evaded law enforcement for years. His undoing would eventually come down to one glass of water…Operation Journey netted 22-thousand kilos of cocaine, and dismantled one of the most powerful cocaine trafficking organisations in the world. But did HM Customs really get the credit it deserved? These are the Narco Warriors.New episodes every Monday.If you want to go deeper on Operation Journey, Luis Navia's full story is told in his book Pure Narco, written with Jesse Fink.

He spent 10 years living as someone else. He infiltrated heroin gangs, cocaine cartels and cannabis networks. Now, thanks to a hit Netflix drama, the world is finally getting to know one of Britain's most extraordinary undercover officers. “Guy” talks to Narco Warriors about the art of the “legend”, the golden rules of undercover work, and the operations that took him from the streets of West London, to meeting Pablo Escobar's cousin, via a boat that sank in the English Channel.His unbelievable story is also chronicled in The Betrayer: How An Undercover Unit Infiltrated The Global Drug Trade, written by Guy and Peter Walsh, which inspired Legends. These are the Narco Warriors.New episodes drop every Monday morning.

For 25 years Luis Navia was one of the most wanted cocaine traffickers in the world, and almost nobody knew his name. Cuban-American, Georgetown-educated, he moved as much as 300 tonnes of cocaine from the Colombian cartels to the streets of Europe, working alongside Pablo Escobar and surviving everything the Medellín cartel, the Cali cartel, and a 12-nation operation could throw at him.This is his life as a drug trafficker, told in his own words.The plane that cartwheeled into the ocean. The sicario he invited to dinner with his parents, the kidnapping at gunpoint in Cancún, and the crocodile farm he nearly didn't leave.And finally, the fingerprint on a glass of water in a Venezuelan restaurant that brought everything crashing down.Joining him is Jesse Fink, author of "Pure Narco" - the book that took five years to write and verified 95 percent of everything Luis told him.This is the cocaine trade from the inside.📖 "Pure Narco" by Luis Navia and Jesse Fink is available now: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pure-Narco-Luis-Navia-Jesse/dp/178946336X

They joined the same institution, in the same era, in a world that was almost entirely male. But Aimee Lisle and Natalie Reynolds took very different paths. Lisle became one of Britain's top surveillance officers, tailing drug couriers, planting listening devices, and spending months secretly building a corruption case against a colleague she passed in the corridor every day. The target was Gatwick Airport's highest-seizing customs officer. As an intelligence officer at Heathrow Airport, Reynolds stopped hundreds of passengers, profiled flights from Bogota, and helped target the couriers bringing Colombian cocaine into the UK. So when her husband was posted to Bogota as a drugs liaison officer, she didn't just go along for the ride, she learned to drive defensively through a city still shaking from the cartel wars, and was trained by the SAS to grab a wounded bodyguard's weapon and shoot her way out if it came to it.Just don’t ask her to lob any grenades.Two careers. Two completely different versions of what it meant to work in drug law enforcement. Both of them would do it all again.These are the Narco Warriors.Insiders: Aime Lisle & Natalie Reynolds

They were train robbers, bank raiders and drug lords. And they'd found the perfect hideout. A sun-drenched strip of southern Spain, where Britain's most wanted went to disappear. No extradition, no questions asked. The Costa del Sol was a sanctuary for some of the biggest villains. And this week we're going inside it. Former UK Customs drug liaison officer "Colin" reveals a world tourists never saw. Investigative journalist Paul Lashmar traces it all back to its roots: the post-war streets of northwest London, and a gang of armed robbers who saw bank heists as just another day at the office.These are the Narco Warriors.New episodes every Monday.Host: Lindsay CharltonInsiders: Paul Lashmar & “Colin”***Lashmar’s latest book “Drax of Drax Hall: How One British Family Got Rich (and Stayed Rich) from Sugar and Slavery” is on sale now.

They locked him up, seized his millions, and dismantled his empire piece by piece. But every single time, Mickey Green walked free. One of Britain's most wanted criminals for 30 years, Green ran cocaine and cannabis networks from Morocco to Miami. But he was always one step ahead. The investigators who spent their careers chasing him tell the incredible story.Meanwhile, why Europe is facing a cocaine crisis unlike anything seen before. This isn’t Colombia or Mexico. It’s Belgium. Eighty-nine shootings, 60 gangs, 121 tonnes of cocaine seized IN A SINGLE YEAR. A judge now warns that Belgium is becoming a narco state - corrupted and controlled by drug trafficking gangs. Our insiders explain what's really going on at the port of Antwerp, and why it matters to every drug user and law enforcement officer in Britain.And finally, the secret world of Customs' legendary undercover unit. The real people and real operations behind Netflix's explosive new series “Legends.” False identities. Double lives. They weren't the police. They weren't spooks. They could do things nobody else could.These are the Narco Warriors.Host: Lindsay CharltonInsiders: Phil Matthews, Graham Honey & Barry Clarke

Before cocaine, before cartels and before borders as we know them, there was smuggling.Former UK Customs officer and de facto drug war historian Mike Gough Cooper takes us deep into the fascinating history of what he calls the world’s second oldest profession.From Roman Britain and Viking protection rackets to Robin Hood, and brutal smuggling gangs, this is the story of how smuggling shaped Britain, funded wars, corrupted officials, and helped create modern law enforcement. Customs men Geoffrey Chaucer, Robbie Burns and Dick Whittington all chased smugglers in their time. Mike also explains how customs officers were once among the most powerful figures in the country, armed with extraordinary search powers, secret commissions, and even the authority to call in the military.These are the Narco Warriors.New episodes every Monday.Host: Lindsay CharltonInsider: Mike Gough Cooper

The inside scoop on the man who helped create Britain’s heroin market, and the secret war to stop him.Gigi Bakir was a ruthless Turkish Cypriot kingpin who built the UK’s first industrial-scale heroin operation in the 1970s.From knife fights in North London nightclubs to secret smuggling tricks, Bakir controlled the supply lines that fed Britain’s growing heroin market, moving drugs from the Golden Crescent through Europe and straight into London.Then in a stunning twist... the smuggler turned informant. Working both sides of the law, Bakir fed information to investigators while continuing to run his own drug empire.In this episode of Narco Warriors, you’ll hear: How Turkish networks took over Europe’s heroin trade The violent rise of Gigi Bekir The smuggling techniques that evaded detection How he avoided conviction for a fatal stabbing And why he chose to become a “supergrass A huge thank you to our guest Peter Walsh, author of “Drug War: The Secret History.” Peter has spent years uncovering the real stories behind the smugglers, the investigators, and the secret war that shaped modern Britain, and his insight into figures like Gigi Bekir is unmatched.And there’s more big news…Peter has just revealed that his book “The Betrayer,” co-written with undercover investigator Guy Stanton, has inspired a major six-part Netflix series starting May 7. “LEGENDS” is written by Neil Forsyth (The Gold, Guilt), and stars Tom Burke as Guy Stanton, alongside Steve Coogan and Hayley Squires. The story dives into a covert HM Customs unit that infiltrated the drug underworld using fake identities, known as “legends.”These are the Narco Warriors.New episodes every Monday.

An officer kidnapped in Afghanistan, the drug Mule carrying three kilograms of cocaine in his stomach, staying alive in Africa - and taking on the Turkish Connection. They were invited to an arms fair. They ended up in chains. Deep inside hostile territory on the Afghan border, three western Drug Liaison Officers find themselves kidnapped by Mujahideen fighters.Any rescue attempt risked turning into a “bloodbath.”Our veteran insiders reveal the “silver command” rescue mission, the 50-man fortified stronghold they faced, and the reality of life inside the mountain caves of Spin Boldak, in Afghanistan's Kandahar Province.Plus, drug smuggling mules. They take a lethal risk that defies human biology… that's likely to leave a lump in your throat.These are the Narco Warriors.New episodes every Monday.Host: Lindsay CharltonInsiders: Phil Matthews, Graham Honey, Dave Cater and Steve Coates

A major UK drug trafficking investigation exposes Colombian cocaine cartels operating in London and a heroin smuggling route running through Southall.In this episode of Narco Warriors, former UK Customs and Excise investigators reveal how a small money bureau in Peckham became the key to uncovering one of the largest cocaine networks ever discovered in Britain.The operation led to hundreds of arrests and massive cocaine seizures, exposing cartel-controlled distribution networks across the UK.At the same time, another team was tracking a heroin smuggling operation from India and Pakistan, spending weeks hidden in surveillance vans watching a house in Southall while they waited for couriers to arrive.What followed were dramatic airport interceptions, chaotic arrests, and one suspect who tried to escape by diving through a plate-glass window. It didn’t end well.These are the Narco Warriors. New episodes every Monday.Host: Lindsay CharltonInsiders: Phil Matthews, Graham Honey & Martin Dubbey

Most people meet Fidel Castro in history books. Alan Pamplin met him because of a drifting ship packed with cocaine.Cuba is facing one of its worst crises in decades. Blackouts, fuel shortages, and growing unrest. And the pressure has intensified since the U.S. cut vital oil supplies from Venezuela.But the legacy of revolutionary president Fidel Castro looms as large as ever.In the mid-1990s, a drifting ship loaded with cocaine entered Cuban waters, triggering an all-or-nothing international drug trafficking investigation. What followed was a frantic maritime search, a diplomatic crisis, and an extraordinary summons from the big man himself.UK Drug Liaison Officer Alan Pamplin suddenly found himself face-to-face with Fidel Castro, before being whisked away by Cuban authorities in a race to find hidden drugs aboard the mysterious vessel.But would they uncover the cocaine before it was too late?These are the Narco Warriors. New episodes every Monday.Host: Lindsay CharltonInsiders: Alan Pamplin & Graham Honey

From a secret partnership in Tehran, to the high-society smuggling scandals that rocked the British establishment, these are the extraordinary stories of the UK’s overseas drug enforcement officers.Phil Matthews walks a diplomatic tightrope with Iranian police, Jim Jarvie’s young sons dive for cover as bullets fly at their school, and Mike Gough Cooper confronts a drug smuggler who turns out to be the grandson of a British prime minister.These are the Narco Warriors.Host: Lindsay CharltonInsiders: Phil Matthews, Jim "Trapper" Jarvie, and Mike Gough CooperNarco Warriors is a true crime podcast featuring real stories from law enforcement veterans who fought international drug trafficking, organised crime, and global criminal networks.New episodes every Monday at 6am GMT.

Cocaine isn't just smuggled by speedboats and drug mules. For decades the cartels have built something much bigger... In the late 1990s, the cartels changed the game, constructing a floating supply chain that crisscrossed the ocean with tonnes of cocaine.Then came the tip-off no one believed. A young Drugs Liaison Officer uncovered intelligence so explosive his bosses thought he’d been reading too many spy novels.They were wrong.What came next was a secret maritime campaign combining military aircraft, special forces, submarines, warships, and uneasy alliances with Spain and the U.S.This is how the drug war moved from the skies to the sea.Host: Lindsay CharltonInsiders: Phil Matthews, Graham Honey, Martin Dubbey and Mike Gough CooperNarco Warriors is a true crime podcast featuring real stories from law enforcement veterans who fought international drug trafficking, organised crime, and global criminal networks.New episodes every Monday at 6am GMT.

Frankie the Strangler was one of the most feared Mafia assassins. A ruthless enforcer with alleged links to powerful crime families.But British Customs and Excise found him hiding in plain sight in a quiet English village.This episode reveals how UK Customs unknowingly arrested a Mafia godfather who slipped into Britain under the radar. What started as a routine operation became one of the most extraordinary organised crime stories in law enforcement history.And if you ever find a dead blackbird under your doormat, you’re in trouble…These are the Narco Warriors.Host: Lindsay CharltonInsiders: Jim "Trapper" Jarvie & Phil MatthewsNarco Warriors is a true crime podcast featuring real stories from law enforcement veterans who fought international drug trafficking, organised crime, and global criminal networks.New episodes every Monday at 6 a.m. GMT.

You thought your first week at work was bad? How about turning up unarmed to a gunfight…It was meant to be a routine bust on a Caribbean beach. It ended with machine-gun fire and a dead body. This is Barbados in the 1980s. A tropical paradise on the surface, but part of a vast drug smuggling network. Former UK Customs officer Graham Honey takes us inside two of the most dangerous postings of the global drug war: Barbados and Miami.From a gunfight on his second day, to tracking cocaine routes stretching from Venezuela to London, we reveal how quickly operations can spiral and how international drug enforcement really works when the shooting starts.These are the Narco Warriors.New episodes every Monday.Get involved: NarcoWarriors.comHost: Lindsay CharltonInsiders: Graham Honey & Phil Matthews

An embassy. A vengeful informant. A loaded pistol.And is it ever a good idea to send your family undercover?In the early 1990s, Thailand was the crossroads of the global drug trade. It was where power, corruption, and survival intersected. Northern Thailand included what became known as the Golden Triangle, the lawless borderland where Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos meet. This region was one of the world’s largest producers of heroin, feeding Western and Asian markets.Opium poppies grew in territory controlled not by governments, but by warlords, militias, and ethnic armies. Narco Warriors expert guest Phil Matthews who worked in Bangkok, reveals how the risks weren’t just out in the opium fields, and why the region remains at the centre of a deadly trade that never really ended.These are the Narco Warriors.New episodes every Monday.Join the fight: NarcoWarriors.comHost: Lindsay CharltonInsider: Phil Matthews

A dead body in a water tank. Rogue informants. Narco submarines.Ever wonder who the government sends to the other side of the world to fight the drug trade? Meet the Drug Liaison Officers. The secret weapon in international narcotics enforcement. From embassy etiquette, to flipping reluctant mules into informants, this is the inside story of law enforcement’s most unusual diplomats.These are the Narco Warriors.New episodes every Monday.Join the fight: NarcoWarriors.comHost: Lindsay CharltonInsiders: Phil Matthews & Graham Honey

The investigator becomes the target, the airport that became a temple of crime and how NOT to sample a cocaine stash.Law enforcement veterans Philip Matthews and Graham Honey trace their unlikely beginnings in 1970s Britain, as UK Customs & Excise investigators quietly transformed from suitcase checks into a global drug-fighting force. From ripping drug parcels, to dismantling corruption at major travel hubs, they reveal how smuggling really worked, and how deeply insider crime penetrated docks and airports.Our insiders also expose the hidden realities behind the myths: why intelligence matters more than arrests, how informants can be both vital and dangerous, and what it’s like to take drugs to the criminal rather than chase them.This is the true story of how the narcotics trade went global and how a secret war, fought for more than 50 years, still shapes our world - told by the people who were actually there.These are the Narco Warriors.Join the fight: NarcoWarriors.comNew episodes every Monday.Host: Lindsay CharltonInsiders: Phil Matthews & Graham Honey

Missile strikes. Narco terrorism. A president taken in the night.In the first episode of Narco Warriors, Lindsay Charlton sets the scene for a global conflict that has entered a dangerous new phase.As the United States declares drug traffickers “narco terrorists” and launches missile strikes on suspected smuggling boats in the Caribbean, our insiders ask a fundamental question: Has the war on drugs crossed a line?From Caracas, former UK Drug Liaison Officer Graham Dick gives an exclusive first-hand account of life in Venezuela following the removal of President Maduro, describing missile strikes in the capital, fear on the streets, and the immediate impact on drug trafficking routes.In the studio, veteran investigators Philip Matthews and Graham Honey draw on decades of operations across Latin America and the Caribbean to explain Venezuela’s true role in the cocaine trade, how smuggling routes really work, and why killing traffickers at sea may damage intelligence gathering rather than stop the trade.Then former FBI agent James Gagliano offers the U.S. law-enforcement perspective, weighing deterrence against due process, while author and journalist Peter Walsh examines the legality and morality  of targeted killings in the modern drug war.These are the Narco Warriors.Join the fight: NarcoWarriors.comNew episodes every Monday.

This is the true story of how the narcotics trade went global and how a secret war, fought for more than 50 years, still shapes our world - told by the international investigators who lived it.Episodes drop Mondays 6am GMT