Underworld: Behind the Scenes of the NCA exposes the evil world of serious and organised crime.
The National Crime Agency invites listeners to hear from its officers and key partners as they lift the lid on some of the most complex cases they have been involved in.
It offers unrestricted access and never-heard-before details of operations tackling the most chronic and enduring organised crime threats including people smuggling, child sexual abuse, gun and drug trafficking, money laundering and modern slavery.
Hear fascinating first-hand accounts from Senior Investigative Officers, NCA specialists and partners from global forces to learn how the NCA has used its world-leading intelligence capabilities to bring some of the most dangerous criminals to justice.
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Cocaine production in South America is at a record high and the UK remains one of the world’s biggest consumers of the drug.
As law enforcement continues to disrupt trafficking routes and seize hundreds of tonnes each year, criminals are responding with increasingly sophisticated methods – including chemical concealment, using complex chemistry to disguise the drug at a molecular level.
In this special episode of Underworld, NCA experts explore how the agency is using international collaboration and world-leading technology to stay ahead of this evolving threat and protect the UK public from the devastation the drugs trade brings.
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12 Nov 2025
Hidden in Plain Sight
From a Bristol car wash, Slovakian national Maros Tancos ran a ruthless modern slavery ring with the help of his partner Joanna Gomulska. Together they lured vulnerable victims with false promises before forcing them into unpaid labour and stealing their freedom.
An extensive NCA investigation tore the operation apart, leading to their 25-year combined jail sentences.
Specialist officers from the Agency reveal how this hidden horror was exposed and how they rescued and safeguarded dozens of victims.
Related links:
The modern slavery & exploitation helpline is part of leading anti-slavery charity Unseen. You can find more information about modern slavery and how to report concerns if you suspect modern slavery is taking place in your community on their website at https://www.modernslaveryhelpline.org/ (https://www.modernslaveryhelpline.org/)
This episode references themes some listeners may find upsetting. For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details
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12 Nov 2025
X Marks the Spot
It’s 2019, and a senior figure in the Kinahan Cartel is in custody, facing over 20 years behind bars for drug trafficking. Meanwhile, the NCA receives intelligence pointing to a buried cache of firearms and ammunition in a field in Northern Ireland.
What followed was a complex and extraordinary NCA-led investigation – one that exposed a secret plot and delivered a major blow to organised crime.
Hear from specialist officers from the NCA and PSNI, as well as Irish investigative journalist Nicola Tallant, as they reveal how one of the biggest twists in British criminal history was uncovered.
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12 Nov 2025
Catching the Limo Guy
David Saynor, now in his seventies, used his limousine business to groom and sexually abuse teenage girls in Rotherham from the late 2000s to the early 2010s.
Arrested under Operation Stovewood – the UK’s largest investigation into non-familial child sexual abuse – Saynor’s horrific crimes were exposed thanks to the courage of survivors and the dedication of specialist teams at the NCA.
Hear from the officers who put him behind bars for the rest of his life, Rotherham MP Sarah Champion, a specialist prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service, and more.
Reporting child sexual abuse
If you are concerned that a child is at immediate risk of harm, call 999.
Concerns of child sexual abuse should be reported to Police by calling 101.
Under 18 year olds can also report online sexual abuse or grooming to the National Crime Agency’s CEOP Safety Centre: www.ceop.police.uk (http://www.ceop.police.uk)
Support services
Under 18 year olds can talk to Childline confidentially, at any time, by calling 0800 1111 or chat online to a counsellor by visiting www.childline.org.uk/get-support/contacting-childline/ (http://www.childline.org.uk/get-support/contacting-childline/)
Adults who experienced sexual abuse as child and would like to talk to someone about it can contact the National Association for People Abused in Childhood on 0808 801 0331 or by visiting https://napac.org.uk (https://napac.org.uk)
Survivors UK runs the National Male Survivors Online Helpline – a webchat and SMS service for men, boys and non-binary people who have experienced sexual abuse at any time in their lives. www.survivorsuk.org/ways-we-can-help/ (http://www.survivorsuk.org/ways-we-can-help/)
If you are concerned about your own sexual thoughts, feelings or behaviour towards children, speak in confidence to Stop It Now by visiting www.stopitnow.org.uk (http://www.stopitnow.org.uk) or contacting their confidential helpline on 0808 1000 900
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12 Nov 2025
The Best People Smuggler
He was feted “the best smuggler” – now he’s serving a 17-year jail term. In this opening episode of series two, the NCA reveals how it took down Amanj Hasan Zada, the ringleader of a global people smuggling network moving migrants across borders and into the UK on small boats. Based in Preston, Zada thought he was untouchable – until the NCA exposed his operation and brought him to justice.
Hear from the NCA team who led the case, and the Kurdistan Region Security Agency who helped capture key suspects overseas.
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27 Dec 2023
The Specialists
When police forces need help with an investigation, they call in The Specialists from the NCA’s Major Crime Investigative Support team. MCIS officers have supported UK policing on the majority of high profile serious investigations in the last ten years. This final, fascinating episode looks back at some of those cases, the people who worked on the operations and the tactics which have helped them catch the worst of the UK’s offenders.
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20 Dec 2023
The Travel Agent
This episode focuses on Mohammed Mokter Hossain, who ran a sophisticated people smuggling network bringing people into the UK from his home in East London. For a fee, he could also arrange for you to leave the country in the back of a lorry, which is ideal if you’re wanted for murder or child abuse offences, as two of his customers were. The Travel Agent looks at how Hossain’s million-pound criminal empire was brought crashing down by an undercover NCA operation.
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6 Dec 2023
Most Wanted
The NCA works with law enforcement agencies across the world to track down fugitives on the run and return them to the UK to face justice. In this episode, we’ll hear from an NCA team working on the ground in Spain to capture British criminals, plus success stories from the agency’s Most Wanted campaign run in conjunction with Crimestoppers, the Spanish authorities and UK policing.
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22 Nov 2023
Sunshine and Lollipops
How exactly was a gang ringleader caught and jailed after more than £100 million in dirty cash was smuggled into Dubai? Money laundering is one of the biggest threats to UK security, allowing dangerous, organised crime groups to fund their illegal operations and commit more crime. Sunshine and Lollipops investigates how NCA officers and financial investigators hunted and caught Abdullah Alfalasi and his ring of conspirators.
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8 Nov 2023
Golden Ticket
If you’re a murderer on the run, or an international drug trafficker wanting to stay under the radar as you travel, a most prized possession will be your fraudulent passport. In The Golden Ticket, we learn about how NCA officers dismantled a crime group supplying fraudulently-obtained genuine passports, enabling dangerous criminals to operate and evade capture. This incredible episode highlights how the NCA used secret recording devices, undercover officers, and a masterful covert baggage search at Heathrow to collect one criminal’s DNA.
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24 Oct 2023
Gun Runners
Gun Runners goes behind the scenes of an NCA covert operation which stopped Britain’s biggest ever haul of military grade automatic weapons being smuggled by boat up the River Medway in Kent. The NCA’s covert operations to capture those attempting to smuggle weapons into the UK has seen criminals sentenced to over 488 years in prison in the last two years alone. In this episode we hear from the surveillance and firearms officers who were on the ground when members of an organised crime gang were arrested — including the mastermind of the operation Harry Shilling.
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24 Oct 2023
Rapsheet From Hell
The second episode - Rap Sheet from Hell - unearths the horrifying details of one of the most prolific child sexual abuse offenders the NCA has ever investigated – Matthew Falder. Sadly, there are more than 830,000 adult offenders in the UK, using ever-more-sophisticated digital tools in an attempt to remain anonymous. Host Ellie Flynn speaks with psychologists, the Crown Prosecution Service and the NCA officers who caught Falder after years of evading capture to show the lengths teams went to to catch such a horrific offender.
Reporting child sexual abuse
If you are concerned that a child is at immediate risk of harm, call 999.
Concerns of child sexual abuse should be reported to Police by calling 101.
Under 18 year olds can also report online sexual abuse or grooming to the National Crime Agency’s CEOP Safety Centre: www.ceop.police.uk (http://www.ceop.police.uk)
Support services
Under 18 year olds can talk to Childline confidentially, at any time, by calling 0800 1111 or chat online to a counsellor by visiting www.childline.org.uk/get-support/contacting-childline/ (http://www.childline.org.uk/get-support/contacting-childline/)
Adults who experienced sexual abuse as child and would like to talk to someone about it can contact the National Association for People Abused in Childhood on 0808 801 0331 or by visiting https://napac.org.uk (https://napac.org.uk)
Survivors UK runs the National Male Survivors Online Helpline – a webchat and SMS service for men, boys and non-binary people who have experienced sexual abuse at any time in their lives. www.survivorsuk.org/ways-we-can-help/ (http://www.survivorsuk.org/ways-we-can-help/)
If you are concerned about your own sexual thoughts, feelings or behaviour towards children, speak in confidence to Stop It Now by visiting www.stopitnow.org.uk (http://www.stopitnow.org.uk) or contacting their confidential helpline on 0808 1000 900
See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.
24 Oct 2023
The Crime Lord
Underworld’s first episode delves into the life and crimes of Robert Dawes, a dangerous international criminal kingpin, who used violence and corrupt officials to traffick huge shipments of drugs from South America to Europe and the UK. Illegal drugs blight communities across the UK, with 160 tonnes of cocaine and heroin consumed there each year. Hear the fascinating story of how Dawes was finally arrested and jailed after an NCA investigation involving law enforcement partners across the globe worked ot dismantle and demolish drug trafficking groups.
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24 Oct 2023
Underworld - Season One Trailer
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
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Spotify
5.0 / 5
119 ratings
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