A decade after its formation, the National Crime Agency is inviting the public to hear first-hand how NCA specialists have used their world-leading intelligence capabilities, investigative expertise and specialist skills to bring some of the country’s most dangerous criminals to justice.
In a new podcast series ‘UNDERWORLD: Behind the Scenes of the NCA’, the Agency unearths the murky ‘underworld’ of serious and organised crime, with each episode focusing on a different criminal threat area and case.
From a million-pound people smuggling network, to £100 million in dirty cash being smuggled out of the country, plus success stories from the Agency’s Most Wanted fugitive campaigns, listeners can hear how organised criminals were identified and relentlessly pursued by NCA officers to stop them in their tracks and put them before the courts.
Investigative journalist, Ellie Flynn, hosts the podcast and hears fascinating first-hand accounts from NCA officers involved, as well as partners from global forces, including the US Homeland Security team, journalists, and psychologists, who tell the full story of each case and uncover never-heard-before details around the pursuit of justice.
The first three episodes released will reveal how some of the UK’s most notorious criminals were captured and put behind bars, including drug smuggler, Robert Dawes, prolific paedophile, Matthew Falder, and weapon trafficker, Harry Shilling. The remaining episodes will be released every two weeks until 30 December.
Investigative journalist and ‘UNDERWORLD’ podcast host, Ellie Flynn, said: “I’ve previously delved into criminal cases for my documentaries, but nothing could have prepared me for this; the cases are in a league of their own. Sitting down with the NCA’s Senior Investigating Officers involved in these astounding cases has opened my eyes to the horrors of serious and organised crime and its impact on our communities.
“We read stories of criminals being caught, convicted and sentenced, but, for the first time, I will be taking listeners behind-the-scenes to uncover what really happens and how the NCA’s intelligence capabilities, investigative work and specialist expertise have protected the UK for the past ten years and how they continue to do so today, in the changing face of crime.”
Graeme Biggar, Director General of the NCA, said: “The ten-year anniversary is a huge milestone for the Agency and launching this podcast allows us to give the public exclusive access to some of our most notorious cases over the last decade.
“Our mission is to protect the public from serious and organised crime. The threat evolves, as organised crime groups capitalise on new online opportunities, global conflict and cost of living pressures to inflict harm and evade justice. We use our world-leading intelligence and investigative capabilities to shut down serious and organised crime and help keep the UK public safe from its devastating harms.
“Hearing about these cases from our experienced officers allows us, for the first time, to show the public how we keep communities safe. The cases demonstrate how we relentlessly pursue the criminals who pose the greatest threat to people and communities in the UK, disrupting their operations and bringing them to justice.”
Since its inception a decade ago, in 2013, the NCA has worked to keep people and communities safe from the devastating harms of organised crime: dismantling criminal networks to prevent people’s life savings being stolen by scammers, rescuing children from abuse, taking down people smugglers and ensuring communities aren’t blighted by gang violence.
In that time, the NCA’s work has resulted in:
- More than 23,000 disruptions – actions that have reduced of removed a crime threat
- Over 12,500 arrests
- Jail terms totalling over 21,100 years
- Seizures of over 2,000 tonnes of heroin, cocaine and cannabis
- The seizure of more than 3,100 firearms
UNDERWORLD will be released on Wednesday 25 October across all major podcast streaming platforms including Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Google, Deezer and SoundCloud. The first three episodes will cover:
1. Episode One, The Crime Lord
The Crime Lord delves into the life and crimes of Robert Dawes, who trafficked huge shipments of drugs from South America to Europe. The episode will reveal how Dawes was finally arrested after an NCA investigation and a seizure of over a tonne of cocaine.
2. Episode Two, Rap Sheet from Hell
Rap Sheet from Hell unearths the horrifying details of one of the most prolific child sexual abusers in the UK, Matthew Falder. The podcast will involve conversations with psychologists, and the investigating officers who caught Falder after years of evading capture.
3. Episode Three, Gun Runners
Gun Runners goes behind the scenes of an NCA covert operation which stopped the biggest haul of lethal military grade weapons ever being smuggled into the UK by boat up the River Medway in Kent. We’ll hear from the surveillance and firearms officers on the day they arrested members of an organised crime gang – including the mastermind of the operation, Harry Shilling.
25 October 2023
