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Artwork for The Underworld Podcast

The Underworld Podcast

The Underworld Podcast
Drug Trafficking
Sinaloa Cartel
Organized Crime
Cocaine
New York City
DEA
Adnan Khashoggi
Pablo Escobar
Mafia
Fentanyl
World War II
Russian Mafia
Heroin
Violence
Ecuador
Cali Cartel
Human Trafficking
Lucky Luciano
Methamphetamine
Money Laundering

Underworld exposes the secret world of transnational criminal networks that have flourished since there were banks to bust, drugs to smuggle, and scams to run. Journalists Danny Gold and Sean Williams bring their experience reporting on dangerous people and organizations to take listeners on a global tour of mobsters, warlords and crooks - from Brooklyn to Beijing, from the streets to the boardroo... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes378Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
DocumentaryHistorySociety & Culture

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for The Underworld Podcast

Latest Episodes

Cape Town’s underworld war was supposed to be about nightclub doors. Instead, it turned into a sprawling battle over drugs, extortion, government contracts, corrupt cops and control of an entire city.

In part two, Danny follows the bodies as they pi... more

YouTube

In a city on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, a young man rose through the ranks of a violent paramilitary organization to become one of its key leaders. But that wasn’t all. Throughout, he posted his criminal exploits to social media, crafting a Robin Ho... more

YouTube

Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It's also home to one of the most violent and tangled criminal underworlds on the planet, where drug lords, prison gangs, crooked cops, and millionaire businessmen wage bloody wars over ever... more

YouTube

How Cuba is Slipping into Drug Chaos

Since the beginning of the year, the US has placed Cuba under an oil embargo, crippling its public services and throwing a society that was already on its knees into chaos. Blackouts roll for days, trash piles hi... more

YouTube

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Accepts Sponsors
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Recent Guests

Nathan Jacquard
OCCRP journalist who reported on Bendito Menor and Colombia's criminal groups
OCCRP
Episode: Colombia’s Narco Influencer Showdown
Mitch Prothero
Journalist associated with Project Brazen, contributor on Balkan crime reporting
Project Brazen
Episode: Assassination Nation: The Balkan Clan War that Took Over Europe
Mitch Provero
Albanian crime expert (previously at Vice), cited as contributing expertise
Tirana-based journalist/analyst
Episode: How an Albanian Mobster Derailed MAGA Island
Lucia Armijo
52-year-old guardabocaminas at Cerro Rico, longtime resident
Bolivia mining community, Cerro Rico
Episode: Shafted: How Cartels are Killing for Rare-Earths
Basilio Vargas
36-year-old miner guide at Cerro Rico, featured in The Devil's Mine
Mining community, Cerro Rico
Episode: Shafted: How Cartels are Killing for Rare-Earths
Diego Huelpa
Indigenous prospector who discovered vast silver deposits
Historical figure associated with Cerro Rico
Episode: Shafted: How Cartels are Killing for Rare-Earths
Daniel Oropesa Alba
Director General of the Casa de la Moneda in Potosí
Casa de la Moneda
Episode: Shafted: How Cartels are Killing for Rare-Earths
Vanda Phelba Brown
Security and intelligence expert at Brookings Institution
Brookings Institution
Episode: Shafted: How Cartels are Killing for Rare-Earths
Luis Chaparro
Mexican investigative reporter
News/Investigative journalism
Episode: Shafted: How Cartels are Killing for Rare-Earths

Hosts

Danny Gold
Host of The Underworld Podcast; co-host with ongoing field reporting on international crime networks.
Sean Williams
Co-host and lead host on The Underworld Podcast; provides contextual commentary and reporting alongside Danny Gold.

Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars from 4.6k ratings
  • Worth the money for Patreon

    Long time listener but after the 2026 October 13th episode I subscribed to patreon. These guys are informed and thorough journalists that make fun of each other like brothers would. Worth the money for the Patreon subscription.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Das313!
    United States23 days ago
  • Oi

    Sean, the insufferable leftist bit is tired. It’s 2026, get a personality.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    Original_Owl
    United States23 days ago
  • Informative and funny

    Podcast Addict
    5
    glassoforange
    24 days ago
  • Tedious banter interrupts story

    The stories have the potential to be interesting but the constant interruptions by the hosts trying to be funny and edgy makes for a tedious experience

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    pinkpinkhorse
    United Kingdoma month ago
  • Addictive storytelling that only gets better every episode

    UPDATE: Oh. My. God … these episodes are so consistently amazingly good. I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THE UNDERWORLD PODCAST. I can’t list a favorite; they’re all so good. ORIGINAL REVIEW: Dark, well-told accounts of humans doing their things … a combination of tales as old as the hills and about how innovators keep ahead of, and outside, the law around the globe.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Charlotte Burgman
    United Statesa month ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

High-quality journalism with vivid historical and current-crime context.
Banters can be distracting at times, but the content stays strong and informative.
Well-researched, entertaining, and globally minded with insightful interviews.
The hosts combine rigorous research with engaging storytelling, a rare balance in true crime.”

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Colombia’s Narco Influencer Showdown
Q: How was this allowed to happen when he's carrying out clear crimes on social media?
Jacquard says his team found at least 20 accounts reposting or repackaging Bendito's content, with about 700,000 followers combined. After OCCRP contacted Meta, the platform shut down most of the accounts, though some remained active.
Colombia’s Narco Influencer Showdown
Q: Was there any surprises when you spoke to people in the towns and villages where he was active at all? Did you come across any kind of extremely vocal pro-Bendito people while you were there?
Jacquard says some residents praised Bendito because his group offered a sense of order and solved local disputes, while others saw him as an aspirational figure who appeared to give money to poor people. His appeal reflected the absence of effective state services and distrust of state authority.
Cape Town's Bloody Mob Wars: The Steroid King, Dirty Cops, and Numbers Gangs
Q: So, there's, it's not like particularly sophisticated stuff here, right? There's like a bunch of thugs and standover men working the doors. I guess they're into drugs. Are they into other stuff at all? Or is it really on those strips?
Danny says the group was involved in drugs, extortion, property dealings and city contracts, combining street-level violence with some organized criminal activity.
Cape Town's Bloody Mob Wars: The Steroid King, Dirty Cops, and Numbers Gangs
Q: Are these like South Asian guys, are there connections between them and, I don't know, big gangsters in India or Pakistan at the time?
Danny says he does not think the Stagg brothers had those connections, and explains that they came from the Cape Flats community South Africans call colored.
The Cartel Del Noreste's Kingdom of Terror w/ Andrew Glazer
Q: What has been the most challenging part of reporting from a cartel stronghold like Nuevo Laredo?
The constant risk from both cartel actors and state or military entities, plus the difficulty of distinguishing between witnesses, informants, and potential threats; maintaining safety while seeking credible, verifiable information is the ongoing challenge.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Underworld Podcast

What is The Underworld Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show covers a global panorama of organized crime, from transnational gangs and narcotics cartels to historical crimelords and illicit networks. Episodes thread together on-the-ground reporting, archival context, and expert commentary to illuminate how crime, politics, and business intersect across continents. Listeners can expect deep dives into cases like cartel leadership, asset forfeiture, and the evolution of criminal ecosystems in places from Africa and Latin America to East Asia, with a signature mix of brisk storytelling, field anecdotes, and investigative nuance. A standout is the breadth of topics—historical crime lore, contemporary narco-politics, and the rise of women in traditionally male-dominated underworld spaces—paired ... more

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How many episodes of The Underworld Podcast are there?

The Underworld Podcast launched 6 years ago and published 378 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on The Underworld Podcast?

Recent guests on The Underworld Podcast include:

1. Nathan Jacquard
2. Mitch Prothero
3. Mitch Provero
4. Lucia Armijo
5. Basilio Vargas
6. Diego Huelpa
7. Daniel Oropesa Alba
8. Vanda Phelba Brown

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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