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.