NARCO WARRIORS: New Podcast Exposes the Secret Drug War Now Framed as a U.S. National Security Mission

This is the true story of a secret war fought for more than 50 years that still shapes our world - told by the people who actually lived it.

NARCO WARRIORS is a new investigative podcast exposing the hidden history of the global war on drugs, and how a decades-long law-enforcement campaign has evolved into a full-scale national security mission, with the U.S. at its centre.

Told by the investigators who fought it from the inside, NARCO WARRIORS pulls back the curtain on a secret war that began in the 1970s and now spans continents, intelligence agencies, militaries, and governments.

Your NARCO WARRIORS host is Lindsay Charlton, a veteran journalist, presenter and entrepreneur. Now he’s back in the hot seat bringing the discipline of the newsroom, and his passion for storytelling, to take us on a journey into a secret war that’s more relevant than ever.

Charlton is joined by Philip Matthews (above, in a Thai opion field in 1992) and Graham Honey, former senior officers in British Customs and Excise, who spent decades hunting the world’s biggest drug traffickers. They weren’t just investigators, they were Drug Liaison Officers (DLOs) working with law enforcement, the military and special forces, all over the globe. You’ll also hear from their former contacts and allies - the people who saw it all unfold.

The impact of narcotics on citizens and states is more serious than ever. And the war on drugs is now a national security mission in the U.S. The controversy over blowing up drug smugglers’ boats shows how quickly and contentiously enforcement slides into military action.

Extraordinary careers. Extraordinary stories. And for the first time, they’re ready to tell them.

These are the NARCO WARRIORS.