Borderland: Narcosis with Vincent 'Rocco' Vargas

Today's guest is Kim Bolan. Kim is an award-winning investigative reporter for the Vancouver Sun, where she has covered gangs and organized crime for over four decades, including the Air India bombing, the Robert Pickton case, and the Surrey Six gangland slaying. She runs the anti-gang blog The Real Scoop and is the author of Loss of Faith: How the Air India Bombers Got Away with Murder. She recently reported on the FBI's Operation Hardball investigation into transnational gangs operating out of Canada.

Borderland: Narcosis is an IRONCLAD Original.

Chapters
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:00:40) Operation Hardball the Bishnoi gang investigation
(00:02:16) The assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar
(00:05:11) The extortion campaign targeting the South Asian community
(00:12:48) Ryan Wedding: Olympian turned major trafficker
(00:20:10) Rural drug labs, BC Bud, and the meth/fentanyl economy
(00:26:41) Why Canada isn't the "Next Mexico" yet
(00:30:11) Port corruption and Hells Angels on the docks
(00:34:21) Creative smuggling border crossings and hidden compartments
(00:40:11) Closing thoughts

Sponsors:

1st Phorm:
Go to⁠ ⁠https://www.1stphorm.com/borderland⁠⁠ and get free shipping on any orders over $75, free 30 days in the app for new customers, and 110% money back guarantee on all of our products.

Marek Health:
Visit https://marekhealth.com/ and use code IRONCLAD to receive 10% off

The Uprising:
From the director of JASON BOURNE, Paul Greengrass brings you THE UPRISING. Andrew Garfield stars as the leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II. Set against the true events of the Uprising that helped inspire the legend of Robin Hood, he forms an army of the people to face the King’s might in a fight for justice.

Only in theaters this Thursday. Get tickets.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vince “Rocco” Vargas sits down with Katarina Szulc to discuss her recent investigation in Tlaxcala, Mexico (which you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rXThHW2xeg ), an uptick in violence in Zacatecas, cartels operating Canada and more.

Borderland: Narcosis is an IRONCLAD Original.

Chapters
(00:00:37) Being chased on camera while reporting in Mexico
(00:04:09) The cartel's PR angle and the FTO designation debate
(00:06:33) Claudia Sheinbaum's stress and Mexican political intrigue
(00:12:38) Car bombings and cartel war in Zacatecas
(00:17:10) Hells Angels' role in Canada's drug trade
(00:21:23) Why prosecution fails in Canada
(00:26:42) Record-low border seizures vs. ongoing drug flow
(00:29:22) How smuggling methods have shifted — tunnels, aircraft
(00:37:16) What's next for Katarina

Sponsors:

1st Phorm:
Go to⁠ ⁠https://www.1stphorm.com/borderland⁠⁠ and get free shipping on any orders over $75, free 30 days in the app for new customers, and 110% money back guarantee on all of our products.

Marek Health:
Visit https://marekhealth.com/ and use code IRONCLAD to receive 10% off
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's guest is Sean Williams. Sean is an investigative report whose work has apeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, Rolling Stone, GQ, The Daily Beast, The New Republic, Wired, The Economist, The Guardian, Sports Illustrated and many more.

He host The Underworld Podcast, a weekly show investigating global organized crime with journalist Danny Gold.

He recently spent 4 weeks in Havana investigating the situation there.

Borderland: Narcosis is an IRONCLAD Original.

Sponsors:

1st Phorm:
Go to⁠ ⁠https://www.1stphorm.com/borderland⁠⁠ and get free shipping on any orders over $75, free 30 days in the app for new customers, and 110% money back guarantee on all of our products.

Marek Health:
Visit https://marekhealth.com/ and use code IRONCLAD to receive 10% off

The Uprising:
From the director of JASON BOURNE, Paul Greengrass brings you THE UPRISING. Andrew Garfield stars as the leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II. Set against the true events of the Uprising that helped inspire the legend of Robin Hood, he forms an army of the people to face the King’s might in a fight for justice.

Now-8/26: Only in theaters September 10. Watch The Trailer.
8/27-9/6: Only in theaters September 10. Get tickets.
*9/7-9/9: Only in theaters this Thursday. Get tickets.
9/10-on: Now playing only in theaters. Get tickets.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today’s guest is Chris Dalby. He is a journalist and an expert on organized crime and Mexican drug cartels. Chris is the author of World of Crime's Guides to Organized Crime and CJNG: A Quick Guide to Mexico's Deadliest Cartel. He’s also the the director of the World of Crime think tank

You can subscribe to his newsletter at seasonsofcrime.com

Borderland: Narcosis is an IRONCLAD Original

Chapters

00:00 – Intro

01:11 – CJNG Members Arrested in Czech Republic (Weapons Deal)

07:24 – Precursor Chemicals & Spain's Role in Europe

09:18 – Operation Vanilla: Liquid Meth & Cocaine Smuggling

18:52 – The "Super Cartel" & Europe's Drug Trade Structure

21:23 – CJNG Leadership After El Mencho

23:11 – The "Mexican Batman" Vigilante Story

26:47 – US Strategy in Latin America & the Border

30:09 – How Drugs Are Getting Into the US (Trucking, Mail, Liquid Smuggling)

32:52 – Where to Find Chris Dalby

Sponsors:

1st Phorm:
Go to⁠ ⁠https://www.1stphorm.com/borderland⁠⁠ and get free shipping on any orders over $75, free 30 days in the app for new customers, and 110% money back guarantee on all of our products.

Marek Health:
Visit https://marekhealth.com/ and use code IRONCLAD to receive 10% off
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Gannon is a retired DEA Senior Leader and Assistant Special Agent in Charge, who spent 25 years serving various roles within the Drug Enforcement Administration, including undercover operations and uncovering cartel-connected drug networks in cities including Chicago and Miami.

Borderland: Narcosis is an IRONCLAD Original

Sponsors:1st Phorm:Go to⁠ ⁠https://www.1stphorm.com/borderland⁠⁠ and get free shipping on any orders over $75, free 30 days in the app for new customers, and 110% money back guarantee on all of our products.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices