Marijuana, motorcycles, and mayhem. Deep Cover is the true story of an FBI agent in Detroit who goes undercover in an outlaw motorcycle gang and makes a series of bizarre discoveries that inadvertently lead to the US invasion of foreign country. Hosted by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jake Halpern. Launching July 13th. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Detroit FBI agent Ned Timmons busts Toby Anderson, a violent criminal who also fancies himself a budding country music star. Ned flips Toby and goes undercover as a biker, but Toby quickly goes out of control. He uses the newfound protection of the FBI to commit robberies and perhaps far worse. Most agents would give up, and send Toby to jail, but Ned has a feeling Toby might be his key to the criminal underworld.The first version of Ned’s unpublished novel was written by James Coyne and edited by Andrea McLaughlin. Voice acting by Walton Goggins. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
As Ned goes deeper undercover with Toby, making busts and infiltrating biker gangs, his wife Kathy begins to worry that things are going too far. But Ned is hooked, hearing chatter about a smuggling syndicate, a massive drug warehouse, and a source nicknamed Shine, who might have intel on the whole operation. Meanwhile, down in Louisiana, an abandoned smuggling barge turns up, and local authorities find a single clue: the name Shine, etched into a notepad belonging to the smugglers.The first version of Ned’s unpublished novel was written by James Coyne and edited by Andrea McLaughlin. Voice acting by Walton Goggins. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ned makes his move on Shine by baiting him into a chili cook-off. It turns out Shine is also looking for an out, as he’s come under suspicion from his boss, a massive drug distributor named Mike Vogel. Shine runs security for Vogel’s operation, but Vogel comes to suspect that Shine is a traitor. After Shine gets shot, he’s willing to cooperate with Ned.The first version of Ned’s unpublished novel was written by James Coyne and edited by Andrea McLaughlin. Voice acting by Walton Goggins. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Shine takes Ned to Beaufort, North Carolina, where an abandoned boat full of marijuana had been discovered years prior. Locally, that case had gone cold, but Shine knows all about it. It was the work of an activist turned marijuana importer named Steven Kalish AKA Skip AKA the Gentleman Smuggler, a nickname earned because of his charismatic personality and distaste for violence. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The kingpin of the smuggling syndicate – Leigh Ritch – is safely out of reach in the Cayman Islands. But he’s worried. One of his partners, the Gentleman Smuggler, is in custody. Leigh’s network may soon be exposed. He grows more paranoid, thinking his house is bugged. The syndicate's security guy, Shine, says he knows a guy who can sweep Leigh’s house. His name is Ed Thomas. (Yep, that’s Ned). So, Ned gets special permission to do undercover work abroad and sets off to Grand Cayman with Shine in tow.The first version of Ned’s unpublished novel was written by James Coyne and edited by Andrea McLaughlin. Voice acting by Walton Goggins. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
As Ned is in Grand Cayman working undercover to investigate Leigh Ritch, he hears talk about a “general” sometimes called “Pineapple Face.” That can only be the Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, who, it turns out, has effectively become the syndicate's launderer and protector. The FBI realizes it’s on to something serious, especially when the CIA comes knocking and starts asking all kinds of suspicious questions. The little investigation that began with bikers in Detroit has now implicated the Panamanian dictator – a valuable CIA asset. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This is the story of Leigh Ritch’s escape. It begins with his friends, Tommy Lee and Heather Locklear, visiting the Cayman Islands on their honeymoon. They start fighting, make a ruckus, and Leigh eventually takes them to Jamaica. From there, Leigh hopes to flee to Portugal, but the FBI has something else in mind. Meanwhile, back in Detroit, Ned helps lead a raid on Mike Vogel’s mansion. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Word gets out that the smugglers have a silent partner who is none other than Manuel Noriega – the ruler of Panama, a close ally, and a top CIA asset. The three kingpins (Leigh Ritch, Mike Vogel, and Steven Kalish) all testify before Congress. Noriega is indicted in federal court. Meanwhile, Ned gets a call from a Colombian woman who says she can give him intel about suppliers. Ned thinks he finally has a shot at the source. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ned gets too close with a female source, a dangerous move that stands to end his marriage and perhaps even his career at the FBI. Meanwhile, tensions between the U.S. and Noriega ramp up. President Bush calls for an invasion of Panama. The final act in our saga ends with a full blown war. The first version of Ned’s unpublished novel was written by James Coyne and edited by Andrea McLaughlin. Voice acting by Walton Goggins. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jake delves into one piece of the puzzle that he didn’t quite get into in season one but has continued to intrigue him: the source. In this episode, you’ll meet Tommy Powell, a former smuggler who guides us through the import side of the marijuana industry. Starting out as a small time dealer in Michigan, Tommy winds up in Colombia inspecting marijuana crops and working as a liaison between farmers and other smugglers. Eventually, Tommy claims, he became one of the first smugglers to bring in really big loads of Colombian weed to the United States. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The launch of Deep Cover Season 2 is just a month away. Until then, we bring you a conversation between host Jake Halpern and screenwriter/author James Coyne about the genesis of Ned’s novel and the role it played in Jake’s writing of season one. Also, in this episode–a sneak peek of Deep Cover season 2: Mob Land. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Who was Bob Cooley? Deep Cover Season Two launches on January 24th. Listen to the whole season early and ad-free by subscribing to Pushkin+. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
March 1986. A high-rolling lawyer named Bob Cooley walks into a federal prosecutor’s office and says that he has information that could bring down the mob. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
September 1972. A teamster named William Logan is gunned down outside his home, in what’s widely thought to be a mob hit. The Logan family is determined to get justice, but it may not be so easy. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 1977. After a witness decides to speak out, a hitman named Harry Aleman stands trial for the murder of William Logan. Bob Cooley is asked to “handle it.” The case is make-or-break for Cooley’s career, and possibly his life.This episode comes out for free on January 31st and is available now for Pushkin+ subscribers. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 1942. How did Bob Cooley, an Irish ex-cop from a family of cops and lawyers, become Bob Cooley, criminal defense lawyer and fixer for the Chicago Outfit? This episode comes out for free on January 31st and is available now for Pushkin+ subscribers. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 1973. Who can stem the tide of corruption in Chicago? In this episode: two attempts to clean up the courts. And where they fell short. This episode comes out for free on February 7th and is available now for Pushkin+ subscribers. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
February 1986. Bob Cooley represents a bodybuilder who brutally assaulted a female police officer. Then Bob makes a decision that will change his life forever.This episode comes out for free on February 14th and is available now for Pushkin+ subscribers. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
December 1988. Bob wires up. He and the FBI set their sights on three targets: a mobbed-up car salesman, a bookie, and… a poet. Voice acting in this episode by Michael Imperioli. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A M C Casiday
Feeling incredibly uncomfortable about the imposter. Her story has some human interest. But when she is asked if she struggles with a decision, she responds in terms of tactics with no indication of self-awareness (or morality). At this point, it sounds like an origins story for a sociopath.
Nicole Merrill
narcissist
Namelessmess
So far the worst part is that no one is calling out Edna's mental health issues that really caused this whole situation.
Greg Ganjon II
8 minutes in and already hit with 2 commercial breaks.
Staci BAMS
Ben Ford is a fresh breath of air in law enforcement.