Underworlds with Mark Shaw - podcast cover

Underworlds with Mark Shaw

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crimeunderworlds-wmshaw.captivate.fm
Welcome to Underworlds with Mark Shaw. Organized Crime is everywhere, hidden in plain sight. The stories from this world have been mythologised by Hollywood. But the reality can be even stranger and more exciting than fiction. From the golden age of the American mafia (La Cosa Nostra), to the modern-day cocaine empires, and from the shadowy links between organized crime and terrorism, to the twilight of the Yakuza. In this series Mark Shaw, the Director of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime delves into non-fiction books about organized crime and the illicit economy with the authors themselves. He asks questions about their background and investigations, but also the challenges associated in writing about this murky world.

Episodes

Downfall: Prigozhin, Putin and the New Fight for the Future of Russia - Mark Galeotti

Russia, the Wagner Group and the Fall of Yevgeny Prigozhin. In this episode, Mark sits down with Professor Mark Galeotti, to discuss his new book, co-authored with Anna Arutunyan, ‘Downfall: Prigozhin, Putin, and the new fight for the future of Russia’. The life of Yevgeny Prigozhin was nothing if not extraordinary. After an earlier stint in prison in Russia, he turned his hands to business, became a catering magnate, then a troll master, and finally the leader of the infamous Wagner PMC (Privat...

Oct 28, 202452 minSeason 1Ep. 7

Narcas: The Secret Rise of Women in Latin American Cartels - Deborah Bonello

What role do women play in the Latin American drug cartels? In this episode, Mark sits down with investigative journalist Deborah Bonello to discuss her book ‘Narcas: The Secret Rise of Women in Latin America's Cartels’. During the trial of Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman in 2018-19, there was only one woman named on the indictment, Guadalupe Fernández-Valencia, the unassuming elderly woman is the highest-ranking woman known today in the Sinaloa Cartel. This peaked Deborah’s curiosity, who was the Bur...

Oct 21, 202443 minSeason 1Ep. 6

Chasing Shadows: A True Story of the Mafia, Drugs and Terrorism - Miles Johnson

What links the Italian mafia, the DEA, and Hezbollah?  In this episode, Mark sits down with investigative journalist Miles Johnson, to discuss his book ‘Chasing Shadows: A True Story of the Mafia, Drugs and Terrorism’. Miles discovered a DEA investigation into a money laundering network in Europe, which branched out to reveal the truly global nature of organized crime, and how it intersects with the world of terrorism. Miles’ book reads like a cinematic thriller, a story about the globaliza...

Oct 14, 202442 minSeason 1Ep. 5

Cocaine Cowboys: The Deadly Rise of Ireland's Drug Lords - Nicola Tallant

How did the Kinahan organized crime group rise to the top of cocaine trafficking in Europe? In this episode, Mark sits down with investigative journalist and author Nicola Tallant to discuss her book ‘Cocaine Cowboys: The Deadly Rise of Ireland's Drug Lords’. At the end of the 90s, Ireland was booming, the ‘Celtic Tiger’ had risen. People had more money to spend on leisure activities, and on drugs. In steps a man from a comfortable middle-class background in Ireland, the well-educated and well-m...

Oct 07, 202453 minSeason 1Ep. 4

The Last Yakuza: A Life in the Japanese Underworld - Jake Adelstein

Are these the twilight years of the Yakuza, the Japanese mafia? In this episode, Mark sits down with investigative journalist and author Jake Adelstein to discuss his book ‘The Last Yakuza: A Life in the Japanese Underworld’. The Yakuza have been part of the fabric of Japanese society for decades, they have inspired films and fanzines, invested in social network websites, provided humanitarian assistance, extorted people, meddled in politics, killed one another and politicians, as well as brough...

Sep 30, 20241 hr 3 minSeason 1Ep. 3

Borgata: Rise of Empire: A History of the American Mafia - Louis Ferrante

The History of the American Mafia: How the Mob Built Its Empire in the US, with Former Gambino Crime Family Associate, Louis Ferrante. In this episode, Mark sits down with former Mob associate Louis Ferrante to discuss his book, Borgata: The Rise of Empire: A History of the American Mafia. The history of the American Mafia, known as La Cosa Nostra or simply "The Mob," is well known. Prohibition in the United States during the Roaring Twenties saw the rise of characters who have since been mythol...

Sep 23, 20241 hr 16 minSeason 1Ep. 2

TRAILER: Underworlds with Mark Shaw

Welcome to Underworlds with Mark Shaw. Organized Crime is everywhere, hidden in plain sight. The stories from this world have been mythologised by Hollywood. But the reality can be even stranger and more exciting than fiction. From the golden age of the American mafia (La Cosa Nostra), to the modern-day cocaine empires, and from the shadowy links between organized crime and terrorism, to the twilight of the Yakuza. In this series Mark Shaw, the Director of the Global Initiative Against Transnati...

Sep 16, 20242 minSeason 1Ep. 1