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 slaughte...
Bonus · Thu, December 05, 2024
The Illuminator is OUT NOW. Subscribe to get early releases and listen ad-free. http://brazen.fm/plus 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/
Bonus · Fri, March 08, 2024
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 . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/
S1 E9 · Thu, November 30, 2023
This week on Gateway we’re sharing the first episode of a new four-part series from Brazen called ‘The Professor’. William Veres is in trouble. In 2018 he was arrested following the largest ever investigation by the Italian police’s art squad. They accuse him of running a pan-European art-smuggling ring with ties to the Sicilian mafia. He is alleged to have stolen $40 million worth of art and antiquities from Italy. Charged with 14 counts, including money laundering, forgery, wire fraud and conspiracy, he faces a jail term of up to 20 years. But he has a plan to get out of trouble. In this four-part podcast, host Simon Willis follows him as he puts that plan into action. It’s a story that takes listeners deep into the underworld, and into the dark heart of the most famous criminal organization of them all – Cosa Nostra. It is a story of drug dealers, hitmen, smugglers, spies – even a corrupt prime minister. And in the middle of it all is William Veres’s quest to save himself. How? By solving the coldest cold case in the history of art crime – the theft of Caravaggio’s Nativity. The Professor is a series for Hidden Worlds, the home of unbelievable true stories and gripping investigations into shadowy places. Subscribe to Hidden Worlds and get brand new series delivered to your favorite podcast app year-round. One podcast, endless stories. For more, visit brazen.fm/hidden-worlds. Don’t want to wait for the next episode? Subscribe to Brazen+ on Apple Podcasts or at brazen.fm/plus to listen to the full series today, and get ad-free listening.
Bonus · Thu, November 09, 2023
The Berlin-based company JuicyFields promised huge profits through investments in cannabis. Thousands of people worldwide trusted the company with their savings – and lost everything. In this true crime investigation, DW asks whodunit: from fake aristocrats to the Russian Mafia - the story gets stranger with every twist and turn.
S1 E7 · Wed, August 16, 2023
This week on Gateway , we’re sharing a special preview of Spy Valley: An Engineer's Nuclear Betrayal. This new series uncovers Silicon Valley’s origins as a laboratory for espionage. At the dawn of the hi-tech age, Moscow’s spies opened up shop in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. In this podcast, you’ll get to know the group of FBI spy hunters who assembled to stop them—and solve the case of a lifetime. Hosted by national security journalist Zach Dorfman, Spy Valley will walk you through a maze of technology theft, double agents, and unbelievable events that put an American engineer at the center of it all. There are new episodes of Spy Valley out now. To keep listening, search for Spy Valley: An Engineer's Nuclear Betrayal , wherever you get your podcasts. To listen ad-free and get early access to new episodes, subscribe to Brazen+ in the Apple Podcasts app, or visit brazen.fm/plus to subscribe on other platforms.
S1 E6 · Mon, July 10, 2023
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/
S1 E5 · Mon, July 03, 2023
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/
S1 E4 · Mon, June 26, 2023
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/
S1 E3 · Mon, June 19, 2023
A twice-convicted murderer, Martin Kok is also one of The Netherland’s most popular crime bloggers. But he goes too far when he publishes Ridouan Taghi’s name. Soon, Taghi’s violence begins to spread far beyond the underworld. This is GATEWAY: Cocaine, Murder, & Dirty Money in Europe, 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/
S1 E2 · Mon, June 12, 2023
While Ridouan Taghi grows his empire, Noffel Fassih, aka The Belly, does his dirty work as a global hitman. But two botched killings threaten to bring his operations to an end. Meanwhile, Taghi finds a new home where authorities are more likely to turn a blind eye… he moves to Dubai. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/
S1 E1 · Mon, June 05, 2023
After the killing of a billionaire kingpin, one man rises to the top of a new generation of ruthless drug lords running Europe’s cocaine empire. His name is Ridouan Taghi. Taghi’s rise, and his incredible fall, shows the power of cocaine to generate staggering wealth, and shocking violence. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/
Bonus · Wed, May 31, 2023
Gateway host and lead reporter Mitchell Prothero shares the inside story of his new series 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 Project 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. Do you have stories or tips you’d like to share? Let us know at gateway@projectbrazen.com www.brazen.fm/gateway 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/
Trailer · Wed, May 24, 2023
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, 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, Project Brazen goes deep inside this crazy under-reported story. For more, visit gateway.projectbrazen.com 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/
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