The Outlook Podcast Archive - Setting up a fake mafia to catch El Chapo

Download Setting up a fake mafia to catch El Chapo

Infiltrating mobs, taking down contract killers and busting drug rings; this was the job of Special Agent Mike McGowan during his 30 year career in the FBI. He was already the expert in undercover operations at the bureau when he was handed the "superbowl" of cases - to bring down the Mexican drug lord El Chapo. In a sting that lasted four years, Mike and his team of agents convinced the notorious Sinaloa cartel that they too were an established crime organisation. He tells Outlook's Saskia Edwards about using dog psychology and a purple velour bathrobe to fool some of the world's most dangerous criminals.

His book is called Ghost: My Thirty Years as an FBI Undercover Agent

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Presenter: Saskia Edwards
Producers: Saskia Edwards and Mariana Des Forges

Picture: SA Mike McGowan on the job
Credit: Courtesy of Mike McGowan

Published on Tuesday, 16th February 2021.

Available Podcasts from The Outlook Podcast Archive

Subscribe to The Outlook Podcast Archive

We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the The Outlook Podcast Archive webpage.