Kingpins Daily: Pablo Escobar
Today, we’re recalling an odd moment in the life of Colombia’s “King of Cocaine,” Pablo Escobar. According to his son, when the family was once holed up in one of Escobar’s hideouts in the mountains o...
4 Maj 20206min
Kingpins Daily: Henry Hill
Today’s quote is from mafioso-turned-informant Henry Hill, an associate of the Lucchese crime “family,” as many Italian mafia outfits are called. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices...
3 Maj 20206min
Kingpins Daily: Niccolò Machiavelli
Our first quote is not actually by a criminal—it’s from The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli, written in 1513. But the book’s principles lie at the heart of every mobster’s philosophy. Learn more about y...
2 Maj 20206min
“The Torture Gang” Pt. 2: Charlie Richardson
By the 1960s, Charlie Richardson had London's criminal underbelly in the palm of his hand. This was all thanks to his acumen as a shady businessman and his “Torture Court,” where he judged and punishe...
1 Maj 202049min
NEW: “The Torture Gang” Pt. 1: Charlie Richardson
We are thrilled to bring you a brand new episode of Kingpins today and for the foreseeable future. We thank you for your patience during this unprecedented time. As a child in post-World War II South...
24 Apr 202044min
“New York’s Finest” Pt. 2: Joseph Petrosino
By 1905, Joseph Petrosino and his Italian Squad were at war with the nefarious Black Hand. As murder, extortion, and bombings plagued the Italian neighborhoods of New York, Petrosino knew that if he w...
17 Apr 202039min
“New York’s Finest” Pt. 1: Joseph Petrosino
In the mid-1880s, immigrant Joseph Petrosino joined the NYPD as one of the few Italians on the force. Over the next two decades, he proved himself to be one of the most famous detectives in the city. ...
10 Apr 202044min
The Yamnaya
In 3000 BCE, coins and paper money hadn't been invented yet. But this was when history's first large-scale pot dealers, known as the Yamnaya, began selling drugs in China and Western Europe—and in the...
3 Apr 202046min
