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.

Cocaine isn't just smuggled by speedboats and drug mules. For decades the cartels have built something much bigger...

In the late 1990s, the cartels changed the game, constructing a floating supply chain that crisscrossed the ocean with tonnes of cocaine.

Then came the tip-off no one believed. A young Drugs Liaison Officer uncovered intelligence so explosive his bosses thought he’d been reading too many spy novels.

They were wrong.

What came next was a secret maritime campaign combining military aircraft, special forces, submarines, warships, and uneasy alliances with Spain and the U.S.

This is how the drug war moved from the skies to the sea.

Host: Lindsay Charlton
Insiders: Phil Matthews, Graham Honey, Martin Dubbey 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.