Gangster
By BBC Radio 5 Live
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Category: True Crime
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Rate for this podcast
Subscribers: 379
Reviews: 3
Episodes: 94
Xavier
Mar 29, 2026
Louise
Dec 3, 2024
Livvy's investigations are always thorough and interesting, I love her podcasts and look forward to them. would definitely recommend
beejeezuz
Jul 24, 2022
super informative and we'll put together podcast
Description
In the 1990s, Brian Brendan Wright, known as The Milkman, became one of the UK’s most significant cocaine traffickers. His operation stretched from coca labs in Colombia, through Venezuelan jungles and Caribbean sea routes, to quiet marinas and racecourses in Britain. Bulk shipments crossed the Atlantic by sailboat. Cartel brokers negotiated deals in Miami. Public phone boxes carried coded conversations.
At home, Wright cultivated a different image: racehorse owner, gambler, a familiar face in elite restaurants and private boxes. Behind that public life sat an organisation moving hundreds of kilos of cocaine at a time. Couriers, skippers and middlemen handled the risk. Cocaine flooded British streets while its organiser remained largely unseen.
The investigation to dismantle the network lasted 11 years. Customs officers, DEA agents and police forces across multiple countries tracked phone numbers, cracked codes, followed boats and recruited insiders. Arrests reached from Colombian suppliers to UK logistics men. As pressure mounted, Wright fled abroad and became one of Britain’s most wanted fugitives.
Gangster: The Story of the Milkman follows the rise and fall of a transatlantic cocaine empire — the smugglers who ran it, the officers who pursued it, and the human cost left in its wake.
| Episode | Date |
|---|---|
|
2: Cocaine by the sea
|
Aug 13, 2026 |
|
1: The Seamist
|
Aug 07, 2026 |
|
Trailer: The Story of The Milkman
|
Aug 03, 2026 |
|
6. The White Cliffs of Dover
|
Jun 11, 2026 |
|
5. The Magic Balloon Gang
|
Jun 04, 2026 |
|
4. The Slip-Up
|
May 28, 2026 |
|
3. The Land of Milk and Honey
|
May 21, 2026 |
|
2. The Hate Factory
|
May 14, 2026 |
|
1. The Big One
|
May 07, 2026 |
|
Introducing Gangster Presents: The Story of Ronnie Biggs
|
May 04, 2026 |
|
6. Losing Face
|
Apr 09, 2026 |
|
5. Video Wars
|
Apr 02, 2026 |
|
4. The Northern Powerhouse
|
Mar 27, 2026 |
|
3. Sleeping Tiger
|
Mar 20, 2026 |
|
2. The Hong Kong Connection
|
Mar 13, 2026 |
|
1. Enter The Godfather
|
Mar 06, 2026 |
|
Trailer
|
Mar 04, 2026 |
|
6. Starcrossed Lovers
|
Dec 19, 2025 |
|
5. “Love You”
|
Dec 12, 2025 |
|
4. Illegal Highs
|
Dec 05, 2025 |
|
3. Just This Once
|
Nov 28, 2025 |
|
2. The Boy From Bradford
|
Nov 21, 2025 |
|
1. When Amy Met Joe
|
Nov 14, 2025 |
|
Trailer
|
Nov 10, 2025 |
|
The Black Widow: 6. Til Death Do Us Part
|
Sep 12, 2025 |
|
The Black Widow: 5. Spilt Milk
|
Sep 05, 2025 |
|
The Black Widow: 4. The Two Minute Rule
|
Aug 29, 2025 |
|
The Black Widow: 3. Cops and Robbers
|
Aug 22, 2025 |
|
The Black Widow: 2. A Widow's Vow
|
Aug 15, 2025 |
|
The Black Widow: 1. Spinning the Web
|
Aug 08, 2025 |
|
Trailer
|
Aug 01, 2025 |
|
The Daniels and the Lyons: 7. Update – Murder in Costa Del Sol
|
Jul 25, 2025 |
|
Hooligans: 6. End Game
|
Apr 11, 2025 |
|
Hooligans: 5. Going Underground
|
Apr 04, 2025 |
|
Hooligans: 4. Collateral Damage
|
Mar 28, 2025 |
|
Hooligans: 3. Riots and Reputations
|
Mar 21, 2025 |
|
Hooligans: 2. The Darkest Night
|
Mar 14, 2025 |
|
Hooligans: 1. A Different Ball Game
|
Mar 07, 2025 |
|
Trailer
|
Mar 04, 2025 |
|
The Daniels and the Lyons: 6. The Glasgow Smile
|
Dec 31, 2024 |
|
The Daniels and the Lyons: 5. The Pushchair Assassin
|
Dec 24, 2024 |
|
The Daniels and the Lyons: 4. The Digger
|
Dec 17, 2024 |
|
The Daniels and the Lyons: 3. Pay the Piper
|
Dec 10, 2024 |
|
The Daniels and the Lyons: 2. Ollie and Mr Green
|
Dec 03, 2024 |
|
The Daniels and the Lyons: 1. King of the Jungle
|
Dec 03, 2024 |
|
Trailer
|
Dec 02, 2024 |
|
Viv Graham: 6. Legacy
|
Jun 28, 2024 |
|
Viv Graham: 5. Three Shots
|
Jun 21, 2024 |
|
Viv Graham: 4. Door Wars
|
Jun 14, 2024 |
|
Viv Graham: 3. Ecstasy and Enemies
|
Jun 07, 2024 |
|
Viv Graham: 2. Whack ’Em and Catch ’Em
|
May 31, 2024 |
|
Viv Graham: 1. King of the Ring
|
May 24, 2024 |
|
Trailer
|
May 20, 2024 |
|
Catching the Kingpins: 6. Final Reckoning
|
Feb 11, 2024 |
|
Catching the Kingpins: 5. Line of Duty
|
Feb 04, 2024 |
|
Catching the Kingpins: 4. Who Built EncroChat?
|
Jan 28, 2024 |
|
Catching the Kingpins: 3. In Suburbia
|
Jan 21, 2024 |
|
Catching the Kingpins: 2. Threat to Life
|
Jan 14, 2024 |
|
Catching the Kingpins: 1. The Hack
|
Jan 07, 2024 |
|
Trailer
|
Jan 03, 2024 |
|
The Burger Bar Boys: 6. Breaking Bad
|
Dec 08, 2023 |
|
The Burger Bar Boys: 5. Judgement Day
|
Dec 01, 2023 |
|
The Burger Bar Boys: 4. The Murder of Innocents
|
Nov 24, 2023 |
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The Burger Bar Boys: 3. Fall Out
|
Nov 17, 2023 |
|
The Burger Bar Boys: 2. The Yardies
|
Nov 10, 2023 |
|
The Burger Bar Boys: 1. Out of the Ashes
|
Nov 03, 2023 |
|
Trailer
|
Oct 27, 2023 |
|
Killing Death Row: 6. Living and dying
|
Oct 27, 2023 |
|
Killing Death Row: 5. What’s the Cost?
|
Oct 27, 2023 |
|
Killing Death Row: 4. Who Cares if it Hurts?
|
Oct 20, 2023 |
|
Killing Death Row: 3. Inside the Chamber
|
Oct 20, 2023 |
|
Killing Death Row: 2. How to Kill the Killers
|
Oct 13, 2023 |
|
Killing Death Row: 1. The Hunt for Lethal Drugs
|
Oct 13, 2023 |
|
Trailer
|
Oct 06, 2023 |
|
John Palmer: 6. The Hitman
|
Mar 08, 2023 |
|
John Palmer: 5. Self Defence
|
Mar 01, 2023 |
|
John Palmer: 4. Chateau Palmer
|
Feb 22, 2023 |
|
John Palmer: 3. The Clumpers
|
Feb 15, 2023 |
|
John Palmer: 2. London Calling
|
Feb 08, 2023 |
|
Trailer
|
Feb 01, 2023 |
|
John Palmer: 1. Palmer Nova
|
Feb 01, 2023 |
|
Curtis Warren: 6. This Charming Man
|
Aug 10, 2022 |
|
Curtis Warren: 5. The Rich List
|
Aug 03, 2022 |
|
Curtis Warren: 4. Double Dutch
|
Jul 27, 2022 |
|
Curtis Warren: 3. Tigers and Cocaine
|
Jul 20, 2022 |
|
Curtis Warren: 2. Narcos
|
Jul 13, 2022 |
|
Curtis Warren: 1. Just a Lad from Tocky
|
Jul 06, 2022 |
|
Trailer
|
Jun 29, 2022 |
|
Paul Massey: 5. The Assassination
|
Apr 19, 2021 |
|
Paul Massey: 4. The Serpent
|
Apr 19, 2021 |
|
Paul Massey: 3. Steak Night
|
Apr 19, 2021 |
|
Paul Massey: 2. Code of Silence
|
Apr 19, 2021 |
|
Paul Massey: 1. Made in Salford
|
Apr 19, 2021 |
|
Trailer
|
Apr 19, 2021 |