They were train robbers, bank raiders and drug lords. And they'd found the perfect hideout. A sun-drenched strip of southern Spain, where Britain's most wanted went to disappear.

No extradition, no questions asked.

The Costa del Sol was a sanctuary for some of the biggest villains. And this week we're going inside it.

Former UK Customs drug liaison officer "Colin" reveals a world tourists never saw. Investigative journalist Paul Lashmar traces it all back to its roots: the post-war streets of northwest London, and a gang of armed robbers who saw bank heists as just another day at the office.

These are the Narco Warriors.
New episodes every Monday.

Host: Lindsay Charlton
Insiders: Paul Lashmar & “Colin”

***Lashmar’s latest book “Drax of Drax Hall: How One British Family Got Rich (and Stayed Rich) from Sugar and Slavery” is on sale now.

They locked him up, seized his millions, and dismantled his empire piece by piece. But every single time, Mickey Green walked free.

One of Britain's most wanted criminals for 30 years, Green ran cocaine and cannabis networks from Morocco to Miami. But he was always one step ahead. The investigators who spent their careers chasing him tell the incredible story.

Meanwhile, why Europe is facing a cocaine crisis unlike anything seen before. This isn’t Colombia or Mexico. It’s Belgium. Eighty-nine shootings, 60 gangs, 121 tonnes of cocaine seized IN A SINGLE YEAR.

A judge now warns that Belgium is becoming a narco state - corrupted and controlled by drug trafficking gangs. Our insiders explain what's really going on at the port of Antwerp, and why it matters to every drug user and law enforcement officer in Britain.

And finally, the secret world of Customs' legendary undercover unit. The real people and real operations behind Netflix's explosive new series “Legends.” False identities. Double lives. They weren't the police. They weren't spooks. They could do things nobody else could.

These are the Narco Warriors.

Host: Lindsay Charlton
Insiders: Phil Matthews, Graham Honey & Barry Clarke

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.