Cocaine Inc.

The Times & True Crime Australia

Inside the global cocaine industry, where profits are counted up in millions and losses measured out in murders. This worldwide investigation from The Times, Sunday Times and NewsCorp Australia, reveals how the drug business works like any multi-billion dollar corporation. Cocaine Inc. is hosted by Fiona Hamilton, chief reporter at The Times, David Collins, northern editor at The Sunday Times, and Stephen Drill, national correspondent at News Corp Australia.   Follow so you never miss an episode. To listen ad-free subscribe to Crime X+   To find out more visit cocaineinc.com.au  Get in touch: cocaineinc@thetimes.co.uk    Visit us on socials: Crime X+: Instagram, TikTok and Facebook The Times: Instagram, TikTok and Facebook

  • 3 minutes 27 seconds
    NEW PODCAST: Dear Rachelle

    A killer is on the loose in an Australian country town.

    Excited for the June long weekend, bubbly 23-year-old Rachelle Childs leaves work, calls her sister, and is dead within hours. Her burning, partially naked body is found nine hours later in bushland on a lonely coastal road. Her killer has never been caught.

    Now innocent people, once too afraid to speak, are breaking their silence.

    If you’re looking for your next true crime podcast obsession, search out Dear Rachelle.

    An unstoppable cold case team is reinvestigating and uncovering damning new evidence. Could this finally be the break the family needs?

    Dear Rachelle is hosted and investigated by journalist Ashlea Hansen, who teams up with retired detective and renowned cold case specialist Damian Loone.

    The first episode of Dear Rachelle is now available on all podcast platforms. If you’re looking for your next true crime podcast binge and you want to be first to hear what’s next, visit dearrachelle.com.au - your News Corp Australia subscription grants you access to podcast episodes three weeks before everyone else, as well as exclusive access to videos, interactive evidence, behind-the-scenes content, and more.

    Dear Rachelle is a podcast from True Crime Australia.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    4 April 2025, 12:40 am
  • 31 minutes 47 seconds
    Bonus episode 3: Colombia - seized and stolen again

    Stephen Drill talks to journalist Richard McColl about living and working at the centre of the global cocaine trade.

     

    Follow so you never miss an episode.

    To listen ad-free subscribe to Crime X+

    To find out more visit cocaineinc.com.au 

    Get in touch: cocaineinc@thetimes.co.uk 

    Visit us on socials:

    Crime X+: Instagram, TikTok and Facebook

    The Times: Instagram, TikTok and Facebook

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    7 September 2024, 4:00 pm
  • 42 minutes 16 seconds
    Bonus episode 2: Question Time

    Cocaine Inc. hosts Fiona, David and Stephen answer your questions about the drug business and how they made the series. 

    Follow so you never miss an episode.

    To listen ad-free subscribe to Crime X+

    To find out more visit cocaineinc.com.au 

    Get in touch: cocaineinc@thetimes.co.uk 

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    13 July 2024, 4:00 pm
  • 38 minutes 5 seconds
    Bonus episode: The Artist

    Stephen Mee, a former cocaine trafficker who worked with the Cali Cartel, sits down to discuss how he built an illicit empire.

    David Collins and executive producer Will Roe meet Stephen in his artist’s studio. 

     

    Follow so you never miss an episode.

    To listen ad-free subscribe to Crime X+

    To find out more visit cocaineinc.com.au 

    Get in touch: cocaineinc@thetimes.co.uk 

    Visit us on socials:

    Crime X+: Instagram, TikTok and Facebook

    The Times: Instagram, TikTok and Facebook

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    6 July 2024, 4:00 pm
  • 43 minutes 19 seconds
    Bringing it Home | 8

    The investigation takes us to a $10 million home in a leafy city suburb.

    Back home in Melbourne, Stephen Drill picks up a money trail leading right past his front door. 

     

    Follow so you never miss an episode.

    To listen ad-free subscribe to Crime X+

    To find out more visit cocaineinc.com.au 

    Get in touch: cocaineinc@thetimes.co.uk 

    Visit us on socials:

    Crime X+: Instagram, TikTok and Facebook

    The Times: Instagram, TikTok and Facebook

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    29 June 2024, 4:00 pm
  • 39 minutes 1 second
    The Dubai Gold Rush | 7

    Undercover in a gleaming world where nobody asks questions. 

    David Collins follows the money trail through Dubai’s crowded gold souk to its luxurious office blocks.

     

    Follow so you never miss an episode.

    To listen ad-free subscribe to Crime X+

    To find out more visit cocaineinc.com.au 

    Get in touch: cocaineinc@thetimes.co.uk 

     

    Visit us on socials:

    Crime X+: Instagram, TikTok and Facebook

    The Times: Instagram, TikTok and Facebook

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    25 June 2024, 4:00 pm
  • 38 minutes 13 seconds
    Sunshine and Lollipops | 6

    Drug money is carried out of the UK in suitcases carried by passengers travelling in luxury.

    A cash mule tells David Collins about the brazen operation used to smuggle millions to Dubai.

    This episode contains descriptions of suicidal thoughts. 

    If you or someone you know has been affected by the issues raised, the following organisations can help:

    Samaritans in the UK  - 24-hour helpline - 116 123

    Lifeline in Australia - 24-hour helpline 13 11 14

    To listen ad-free subscribe to Crime X+

    To find out more visit cocaineinc.com.au 

    Get in touch: cocaineinc@thetimes.co.uk 

     

    Visit us on socials:

    Crime X+: Instagram, TikTok and Facebook

    The Times: Instagram, TikTok and Facebook

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    22 June 2024, 4:00 pm
  • 35 minutes 31 seconds
    The Woodchurch Estate | 5

    On the streets of northern England where chaos reigns among those doing the selling. 

    David Collins spends time in Merseyside, speaking to those working in the retail arm of the cocaine business.

    Follow so you never miss an episode.

    To listen ad-free subscribe to Crime X+

    To find out more visit cocaineinc.com.au 

    Get in touch: cocaineinc@thetimes.co.uk 

     

    Visit us on socials:

    Crime X+: Instagram, TikTok and Facebook

    The Times: Instagram, TikTok and Facebook

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    18 June 2024, 5:00 pm
  • 45 seconds
    Get in touch | Q&A

    Send us your questions for our bonus Q&A episode.

    Email cocaineinc@thetimes.co.uk

    Get in touch directly with the reporters on Twitter/ X:  

    @Fhamiltontimes

    @DavidCollinsST

    @steveheraldsun

     

    or use the Crime X+ social media

    @crimexplus on Instagram and TikTok

    Crime X Plus on Facebook

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    16 June 2024, 4:00 pm
  • 34 minutes 48 seconds
    The Pineapple Trader | 4

    Europe’s vast ports act as logistic hubs in a worldwide operation that relies on corruption and torture.

    In the Netherlands, Fiona Hamilton reveals the industrial scale of the cocaine business - and how it always leads to violence.

    Follow so you never miss an episode.

    To listen ad-free subscribe to Crime X+

     

    To find out more visit cocaineinc.com.au 

    Get in touch: cocaineinc@thetimes.co.uk 

     

    Visit us on socials:

    Crime X+: Instagram, TikTok and Facebook

    The Times: Instagram, TikTok and Facebook

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    15 June 2024, 4:00 pm
  • 32 minutes 41 seconds
    The 64 Million Percent Mark-up | 3

    As cocaine is smuggled out of South America it multiplies in value, driving people to extremes. 

    Stephen Drill follows the trail to Mexico and uncovers how the numbers used by law enforcement do not add up.

    Follow so you never miss an episode.

    To listen ad-free subscribe to Crime X+

     

    To find out more visit cocaineinc.com.au 

    Get in touch: cocaineinc@thetimes.co.uk 

     

    Visit us on socials:

    Crime X+: Instagram, TikTok and Facebook

    The Times: Instagram, TikTok and Facebook

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    11 June 2024, 4:00 pm
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