Before cocaine, before cartels and before borders as we know them, there was smuggling.

Former UK Customs officer and de facto drug war historian Mike Gough Cooper takes us deep into the fascinating history of what he calls the world’s second oldest profession.

From Roman Britain and Viking protection rackets to Robin Hood, and brutal smuggling gangs, this is the story of how smuggling shaped Britain, funded wars, corrupted officials, and helped create modern law enforcement. Customs men Geoffrey Chaucer, Robbie Burns and Dick Whittington all chased smugglers in their time.

Mike also explains how customs officers were once among the most powerful figures in the country, armed with extraordinary search powers, secret commissions, and even the authority to call in the military.

These are the Narco Warriors.
New episodes every Monday.

Host: Lindsay Charlton
Insider: Mike Gough Cooper

The inside scoop on the man who helped create Britain’s heroin market, and the secret war to stop him.

Gigi Bakir was a ruthless Turkish Cypriot kingpin who built the UK’s first industrial-scale heroin operation in the 1970s.

From knife fights in North London nightclubs to secret smuggling tricks, Bakir controlled the supply lines that fed Britain’s growing heroin market, moving drugs from the Golden Crescent through Europe and straight into London.

Then in a stunning twist... the smuggler turned informant.

Working both sides of the law, Bakir fed information to investigators while continuing to run his own drug empire.

In this episode of Narco Warriors, you’ll hear:

• How Turkish networks took over Europe’s heroin trade
• The violent rise of Gigi Bekir
• The smuggling techniques that evaded detection
• How he avoided conviction for a fatal stabbing
• And why he chose to become a “supergrass

A huge thank you to our guest Peter Walsh, author of “Drug War: The Secret History.” Peter has spent years uncovering the real stories behind the smugglers, the investigators, and the secret war that shaped modern Britain, and his insight into figures like Gigi Bekir is unmatched.

And there’s more big news…

Peter has just revealed that his book “The Betrayer,” co-written with undercover investigator Guy Stanton, has inspired a major six-part Netflix series starting May 7.

“LEGENDS” is written by Neil Forsyth (The Gold, Guilt), and stars Tom Burke as Guy Stanton, alongside Steve Coogan and Hayley Squires. The story dives into a covert HM Customs unit that infiltrated the drug underworld using fake identities, known as “legends.”

These are the Narco Warriors.
New episodes every Monday.

An officer kidnapped in Afghanistan, the drug Mule carrying three kilograms of cocaine in his stomach, staying alive in Africa - and taking on the Turkish Connection.

They were invited to an arms fair. They ended up in chains. Deep inside hostile territory on the Afghan border, three western Drug Liaison Officers find themselves kidnapped by Mujahideen fighters.

Any rescue attempt risked turning into a “bloodbath.”

Our veteran insiders reveal the “silver command” rescue mission, the 50-man fortified stronghold they faced, and the reality of life inside the mountain caves of Spin Boldak, in Afghanistan's Kandahar Province.

Plus, drug smuggling mules. They take a lethal risk that defies human biology… that's likely to leave a lump in your throat.

These are the Narco Warriors.
New episodes every Monday.

Host: Lindsay Charlton
Insiders: Phil Matthews, Graham Honey, Dave Cater and Steve Coates

A major UK drug trafficking investigation exposes Colombian cocaine cartels operating in London and a heroin smuggling route running through Southall.

In this episode of Narco Warriors, former UK Customs and Excise investigators reveal how a small money bureau in Peckham became the key to uncovering one of the largest cocaine networks ever discovered in Britain.

The operation led to hundreds of arrests and massive cocaine seizures, exposing cartel-controlled distribution networks across the UK.

At the same time, another team was tracking a heroin smuggling operation from India and Pakistan, spending weeks hidden in surveillance vans watching a house in Southall while they waited for couriers to arrive.

What followed were dramatic airport interceptions, chaotic arrests, and one suspect who tried to escape by diving through a plate-glass window. It didn’t end well.

These are the Narco Warriors.
New episodes every Monday.

Host: Lindsay Charlton
Insiders: Phil Matthews, Graham Honey & Martin Dubbey

Most people meet Fidel Castro in history books. Alan Pamplin met him because of a drifting ship packed with cocaine.

Cuba is facing one of its worst crises in decades. Blackouts, fuel shortages, and growing unrest. And the pressure has intensified since the U.S. cut vital oil supplies from Venezuela.

But the legacy of revolutionary president Fidel Castro looms as large as ever.

In the mid-1990s, a drifting ship loaded with cocaine entered Cuban waters, triggering an all-or-nothing international drug trafficking investigation. What followed was a frantic maritime search, a diplomatic crisis, and an extraordinary summons from the big man himself.

UK Drug Liaison Officer Alan Pamplin suddenly found himself face-to-face with Fidel Castro, before being whisked away by Cuban authorities in a race to find hidden drugs aboard the mysterious vessel.

But would they uncover the cocaine before it was too late?

These are the Narco Warriors.
New episodes every Monday.

Host: Lindsay Charlton
Insiders: Alan Pamplin & Graham Honey

From a secret partnership in Tehran, to the high-society smuggling scandals that rocked the British establishment, these are the extraordinary stories of the UK’s overseas drug enforcement officers.

Phil Matthews walks a diplomatic tightrope with Iranian police, Jim Jarvie’s young sons dive for cover as bullets fly at their school, and Mike Gough Cooper confronts a drug smuggler who turns out to be the grandson of a British prime minister.

These are the Narco Warriors.

Host: Lindsay Charlton
Insiders: Phil Matthews, Jim "Trapper" Jarvie, and Mike Gough Cooper

Narco Warriors is a true crime podcast featuring real stories from law enforcement veterans who fought international drug trafficking, organised crime, and global criminal networks.

New episodes every Monday at 6am GMT.

Cocaine isn't just smuggled by speedboats and drug mules. For decades the cartels have built something much bigger...

In the late 1990s, the cartels changed the game, constructing a floating supply chain that crisscrossed the ocean with tonnes of cocaine.

Then came the tip-off no one believed. A young Drugs Liaison Officer uncovered intelligence so explosive his bosses thought he’d been reading too many spy novels.

They were wrong.

What came next was a secret maritime campaign combining military aircraft, special forces, submarines, warships, and uneasy alliances with Spain and the U.S.

This is how the drug war moved from the skies to the sea.

Host: Lindsay Charlton
Insiders: Phil Matthews, Graham Honey, Martin Dubbey and Mike Gough Cooper

Narco Warriors is a true crime podcast featuring real stories from law enforcement veterans who fought international drug trafficking, organised crime, and global criminal networks.

New episodes every Monday at 6am GMT.

Frankie the Strangler was one of the most feared Mafia assassins. A ruthless enforcer with alleged links to powerful crime families.

But British Customs and Excise found him hiding in plain sight in a quiet English village.

This episode reveals how UK Customs unknowingly arrested a Mafia godfather who slipped into Britain under the radar. What started as a routine operation became one of the most extraordinary organised crime stories in law enforcement history.

And if you ever find a dead blackbird under your doormat, you’re in trouble…

These are the Narco Warriors.

Host: Lindsay Charlton
Insiders: Jim "Trapper" Jarvie & Phil Matthews

Narco Warriors is a true crime podcast featuring real stories from law enforcement veterans who fought international drug trafficking, organised crime, and global criminal networks.

New episodes every Monday at 6 a.m. GMT.