12) The Thieves' Code

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Warning, the following episode contains explicit language and sexual themes. Listener discretion is advised.

They saw themselves as the real carriers of the Russian tradition, and it was a world of very small, tightly organized criminal groups which were brought together by a very strict and hierarchical code. Leaders of these groups who were called the thieves in law, which meant ready thieves within their own law, they were called vorti.

What their traditional mafia is to Italy, the vori is to Russian organized criminal groups, or as they're called in Russia. Opg Ivory were born in Soviet labor camps and eventually became the elite criminal class in Russia, known for a specific code of honor, one that had very strict guidelines around women.

The Braskoys are gone or thieves code. He must forsake his family, he must never work, He must survive by criminal activities alone, help other thieves, and recruit and train young beginners in the trade. Limit his drinking and not a mass gambling debt city cannot cover. The thief can have nothing to do with the authorities or serve in the military. He must keep his promises made to other

A key.

Dude that I come on my June to that.

Of I was hold and my god, I got to.

You. I had to kill you.

Thisss.

So what's for? Episode twelve, Chapter twenty six, Another Life?

So Friday morning, my vocap and the first thing in my brain was, oh, my god, what if I will not be able to do that? What if he wouldn't like me? What if something will go wrong? I didn't know.

It was the day of Leah's biggest operation. On this Friday night, she would go to the city's hottest club disguised as a high class prostitute. Her mission to seduce Vladimir, the head of a dangerous drug trafficking gang, and infiltrate his organization. Just one mistake could cost Aliah her life.

I dressed in this really short skirt and I bought a really beautiful but very sexy, very open on top with crystals on it. It was sparkling white, and I raided my hair. I put some makeup, and I put white socks. Tell my niece, and I put some high heels.

During their investigation, the least team had also learned about the personality of Vladimir's high school girlfriend, and what stood out was that she was very talkative and funny, almost silly.

So I decided that I will rehearse in front of the mirror, and I just started to pronounce these words in this like giggling way. I had to make sure he would definitely be interested and intrigued by me from the first moment, and I was thinking what would I tell him and how would I look to him? So I trained my eyes as well with this like look, with full desire and admiration, and I I remembered some jokes, So I wrote down some jokes. I mean, I was freaking out seriously.

Leah's team leader had already made the initial contact with the gang and established a relationship, pretending to be a small time pimp and drug dealer.

So in our plan, he's supposed to introduce me as one of the next girl. So he was literally like, you know, pimp. But I didn't want to sleep at him from the first night because I knew it wouldn't be appreciated.

That evening.

Leah then met her colleagues to drive to the club and make the initial contact with Vladimir and his so called brothers in the gang.

So we said to the car the drove and my concern was about his brothers. He had always these like four guys next to him all the time, and they looked really violent and they were huge, no emotions on face. And you definitely don't want to see these guys in the dark neighborhood. Believe me, you don't. So I was thinking, how can I make them to like me? Because if I seduce Vladimir, need to seduce his in the circle in the way they would like me and they would

Her mission was not just to get evidence against Vladimir's gang, but to uncover the whole network that was bringing drug in from Afghanistan, then deluting them with chemicals, packaging them and distributing them in Russia.

Oh with department, we wanted to find out who were these people who would fix and mix these drugs, because these people are responsible for all these deaths. Mixing all these doses with amphetamine and chemical drugs, it would.

Kill other people.

Eventually, Aliyah arrived at the club. It was one she'd never been to before, the most popular and exclusive in the city.

So we're there.

I see the club, huge building, beautiful girls standing outside, smoking, beautiful dresses, just gorgeous.

The music was so loud.

And every time I hear this music, I'm remembering that night.

Her contact, who was undercover pretending to be her pimp, was waiting outside and went over the plan with her.

He gave me instructions.

This should to come to the bar a counter and ordered some drinks and he will do the whole introduction. And all I need to do is just smile, be nice, and just be playful. If Vladimir likes you, usually, if he likes the girl I introduced him, he invites her to the table. If he doesn't like her, he does introduce her to the table. And that's how I know that I should find another girl for him.

Between her strict upbringing military school in Chehnya, Aliyah had never been to a place like this before. As she walked to the door, she was intoxicated by the glamor, almost forgetting the gravity of her mission.

I had never been in the club, I never being dancing, I never hang out with other people like that. So I just wanted to have fun. And I was thinking that I'll do my job, but you know what, I'll have a good time.

Why not.

Be came to the bar counter, my pimp ordered some drinks and I was like dancing. But from my powerful vision, I saw Vladimir looking at me because they were sitting at the corner table. Which was the biggest table and it was on the stage, my presenting peep. He said, Okay, be ready, he's coming. Stop drinking. He came and he looked at me and he was like observing and studying what I'm doing, like every single my move, Like.

It was so exciting. It was so cold, and it was so dangerous.

I didn't even want to have any thought that he may ever know that I was an undercover agent. I just didn't love this thought to come to my brain, as I was taught never think about a failure, because you will fail and I have to be the winner. So then my pretending pimp, he touched my shoulder and he said, hey, this is Vladimir. Want to introduce you.

Leah worked her usual routine, making sure to embody the positive, funny qualities of Vladimir's former girlfriend while adding in her seduction training, specifically flattery, complementing Vladimir as he talked about being one of the owners of the club and.

That's the power of the manipulative compliments. And while he was telling me these things, you what can he brought me to they table and we sat down, and my pretending pemp I could see him, so he was standing at the bar countern, just like sipping a drink. I felt like, it's okay, I'm not alone. I felt safe kind of more or less. So I asked him some questions which will lead him to the conversation where he would think that we have mutual interests.

After creating this initial rapport, Liah moved on to the next part of the script.

She'd been practicing.

So I had homework to write these stories, and then I rehearsed it in front of the mirror so I could tell him and he loved And then he told to one of his guys, oh, look like, listen to her story. It's so funny, Like she's a funny girl. It was a crazy feeling when you're playing the role of someone else, even though like I did their rehearsal and I did the whole preparation, but yet inside of me, I still had this kind of what if, you know, like I need to be careful here.

As she worked to win over the group. She noticed that one person in Vladimir's game wasn't trusting this unfamiliar woman who seemed to be entertaining the whole table.

And I started to tell this funny story and everybody loved afarst from one guy.

And he looked.

At me like he was looking through me, trying to read my mind, and just like checking every single details which I had. I felt that look. I didn't like it at all. It made me worried. And Vladimir said, oh, this is a right hand, which I knew. I always used to see him next to him, so he'd never had any emotions on his face. He would be really like strict, and he wouldn't go out with any girls. Really kind of like a good security, like a perfect dog, which is just watching.

And sisting there.

And I try not to pay attention, but it I felt that I should be really careful with this guy, like super careful.

As she sat at the table trying to win the acceptance of Vladimir, circle Alia saw an opportunity that might save the mission. A first seduction failed to recruit one of the women there as a friend and unwinning informant, so she set her sights on a member of the entourage who seemed to be closest to the game.

She was wearing very low waist jeans and her panties. I could see her panties like out of her jeans and was all kind of like crystals, and I was so shocked. First of all, I've never seen anything like that. And then I was like, wow, this is like superfession. And I started to speak with this girl about her like look and fashion style and said like, oh, you put everything so nicely, and she loved it, and we started to talk. So Anna, her name was Anna. She

With this small victory secured, Leah tried to figure out how to turn her attention back to Vladimir.

And I felt that Vladimir looked at me a few times very briefly, and I put my hand on his knees very softly, and I felt that he liked it. And then I slowly moved my hand a little bit further, and then, you know, just on his inner sarry a little bit, and at this same moment he hugged me. I felt like, yes, okay, I'm getting closer. Good, So I established kind of connection.

Whenever Leah noticed Vladimir speaking about something that excited him, she used the NLP techniques she'd learned in the academy and try to anchor those good feelings to her.

And when he had these positive memories, I touched his neck. I established that that anchor and I thought, like, you know, like it has to work, because it did work on Cornel. It was important for me to have Hate's desire to meet with me again, to be like, you know, there is something about this girl. I don't know what, but she's interesting.

And then Aliah used one of the oldest seduction tricks in the book, leave them wanting more.

But in about an hour, I said to Vladimir, I'm really sorry.

I have to go home.

My university starts like at early morning and I have to do my classes. He was like, yeah, of course, I do understand, and he said, let's go.

I will drop you off.

This was the moment when Alea knew she'd accomplished her initial objective and added success was that she would now have some time alone with Vladimir in a car. It was also an added danger. Vladimir signaled to two of his friends who left with them and followed in a car behind.

We were driving to my house to drop me off, and I was thinking if my colleagues, if they will be following us or not. I didn't know that time, but I knew they were shaking on me. Well that's what I wanted to think.

Chapter twenty seven, Uncle Stpa, Yeah.

This is the face of a true Rsian mobster. The logic goes like this. Cops usually catch the gruns, the soldiers, the lower level thugs and crooks who do the dirty work, while the bosses who give the orders sit back and maintain the appearance of innocence. The bosses don't like to get their hands dirty, and.

So it is rare to prove serious crimes against them.

Aliyah had just left the club with her target. She was now alone in the car with Vladimir. The leader of one of the biggest drug trafficking and extortion gangs in the city. Behind her, there was another car following them, filled with other equally dangerous criminals in Vladimir's gang. She hoped that behind them were the much less dangerous, much less experienced members of her backup team.

While we were driving, he asked me some questions, like what's your blood? Where are you coming from, because I obviously don't look like a Russian girl, And I said, of all guests, and he was like, ta Jikistan, I'm like a warm Okay, it was the biggest. Then I'm like a warmer. So what like Kazakhstan? Like yes, hot, hot, hot, And I was giggling, and he loved it because it brought him to his childhood. He's like, he was so funny, like what you couldn't say from Kazakhstan. I'm like, well,

They soon arrived in front of Lee's apartment.

I leaned to Vladimir and I kissed his cheek and I said, well, thank you so much.

I really appreciate it.

And he's like, okay, Sunshine, sleep well and i'll text you tomorrow. And I remember I was like walking into a part of It's like, oh my hands for shaking. I was like, oh my god, oh my god, I can't believe.

It, Like whow that was?

It was an experience. I felt so many emotions.

I asked Aleiah whether she was worried that since the gang knew where she lived, they could then follow her and find out she was an intelligence agent.

We agreed before with my team.

Once I will infiltrate the gang, I will not go back to the.

Office at all.

Also, I had a separate number which was you know, the same card was registered not on my name.

The next day, Eliah texted Anna, the woman she had met at the club, in hopes to befriending her and recruiting her as an informant. They agreed to meet at a trendy cafe later that afternoon.

I went to see her.

She was sitting in a beautiful dress, looking so cooled beautiful. So I started to ask her about herself. First, she was hanging out with this gang for almost a year, which was really important. To know her well and establish good connection.

Eventually, Aliah found a way to ask Anna about the very quiet gang member, the one who was thearing mistrustfully at her in the club the night before.

And then that guy who was looking at me with these like sharp eyes, absolutely cold and tough. That guy actually was one of Vladimir's very old friend So that guy actually was responsible for bringing and supplying heroin and cocaine. And she said, like, he's so creepy. He always likes sitting there like quiet, and he looks at everybody and everything.

As Aliah talks more about her meeting with Anna, she keeps referring to how stylish Houna was and how well the gang took care of her financially. So I asked her if although her job was to seduce the gang, was she also being seduced by the glamor, celebrity and lifestyle of the gang. And you didn't have any female role models in a sense until you met Anna.

Anna was my role model hungerd percent and because I asked her, like, where do you buy all these crazy amazing clothes And she's like, oh, it's like this day is like boutique.

It's super exclusive.

I'll bring you there, And yes, I was seduced by the fashion that moment. Yes, that's where my fashion, desired fashion comes from that time, one hundred percent. Because look also it was useless are everybody was wearing the same very dark and just very awful clothes.

And then uses are full.

And all these American clothes comes like jeans, like cool shoes, like trainers.

Back at her home, Aleah received a text from Ladimir inviting her to beat him at the club that evening.

I came to the club by the taxi. I texted Sasha. He said he's on the spot. I also texted and I said that I'm coming. So she was waiting for me. So I walked in and.

It was scary.

I felt like I'm a deer or like a lama walking into the tiger's home. But I said, no, I can do it. So I put a big smile on my face and I saw him. He looked at me, and he stand up. And that guy was also there, exactly the same spot, and I saw he was watching me, watching through me, and it felt like he knew who.

I really was.

Leah tried to focus on the task at hand, returning her attention to Vladimir, the gang's leader.

I wanted to seduce him.

So we talked about his past, and he told me a little bit about his family, which is great. And there was one question which every man loves and every man wants to talk about this. And this is the question which brings women very close to the man, and the question is.

Leah pauses and ask me to guess the question, very similar to the game she was playing with Vladimir. I'm unable to guess it.

When I was in the military academy, the coronel said, the most psychological technique which really makes the brain of the man becomes really attached to the woman. If the woman asked what was your dream when you were a little boy? Then I asked this question to Vladimir and he said, I wanted to be like Uncle Stopa.

Uncle Stopa.

It is Marshack's poem for children, and it was about this uncle Stopo who would be like a real hero in real life. And he was like a policeman. Can you measine? Vladimir when he was a little boy, he wanted to be a good, noble, brief policeman. And I touched his hand and I said, to him, that's so amazing. I wanted to work in police too, but I go into another direction. But you know what, you still can try a lot of things in our life. You're still young.

This second night with Vladimir was key to Alia's seduction. If it didn't go well, she might never see him again. And it's becoming clear here that this was important to Aliyah not just because she wanted to succeed in her mission, but because she wanted to keep her access to this world. She was becoming so enamored by the world of beauty, power, luxury, and fashion that her strict father forbid her from participating in as a teenager.

In the end of the day, I had to do my job. It had to be the best night in his life, the best. So the time has came and he kind of like, not that his hat and his brother's and these two guys stand up and we started to walk out from the club.

They drove to Vladimir's holl a building that Lea had staked out many times over the past few months, but she'd never been inside.

And we came to his house, into this big house, beautiful.

We walked upstairs, but these two guys they were in the house too. They were kind of like security, but also friends and collects. It was a little bit difficult because I was planning to search house and see what's everywhere. We walked into his bedroom and I saw big bad and I saw ceiling was mirror ceiling, and it was a little bit awkward because I've never seen anything like this before. And he started to kiss me, and you know, that moment, I surprised. I never felt this with anyone before.

There was just one problem with this otherwise perfect moment. Eliah was not here to feel special. She was here to find evidence against the man she was starting to fall in love with.

I stand up slowly so he wouldn't wake up. I didn't go downstairs because I didn't know exactly where these guys were steeping. But upstairs, I opened the door of another room and I saw huge black thrush bags. So I walked and I slowly opened it, and I saw that it was full of cash, lots of lots of money.

Leah's story continues in episode.

Thirteen, What city do you live in? I'm in Los Angeles.

If I didn't like you, and I found you in Los Angeles and stabbed you on the sidewalk, I would immediately have heat on me.

To Die For is a production of Tenderfoot TV in association with iHeart Podcasts. The show is hosted and written by me Neil Strauss, with additional writing assistants by Tristan Bankston. Executive producers are myself, Donald Albright, and Payne Lindsay. For iHeart Podcasts, executive producers are Matt Frederick and Alex Williams. Lead producer and editor is Tristan Bankston. Additional editing by

Artwork by Byron McCoy.

Original music by Makeup and Vanity Set, mixed and mastered by Dayton Cole. Our theme song is Killer Shangli Law by Psychotic Beats featuring Pattiamore. Special thanks to Orren Rosenbaub and the team at us A, ta Ech Media and Marketing, Orn Siegel, Becky Jensen, the Nord Group, Meredith Stedman, Rose Baruch and Alex Vespastad