BBC Radio 5 Live creates new crime podcast to air on BBC Radio 4

A new BBC 5 Live true crime podcast produced by BBC Studios about drugs, money laundering, and attempted murder is launching on BBC Sounds, and BBC Radio 4 from Sunday 7th January.

Gangster Presents… Catching the Kingpins tells the inside story of how the police infiltrated the EncroChat phone network.

Hosted by Mobeen Azhar, the six-part podcast follows the real-life, pan-Europe police sting and provides us with extraordinary real-life tales, and unexpected discoveries.

Mobeen says: “This podcast is about more than arrests and prosecutions. It’s the story of the Metropolitan Police’s role in the biggest organised crime bust in British policing history, led by the National Crime Agency.

“We detail just how organised the world of organised crime in the UK is right now. We explore how smart technology plays a pivotal role. We gained genuine access to the Metropolitan Police detectives who solved the crime so, expect first-hand accounts of how clues were pieced together, evidence was collected and cases against career criminals were built.”

Each episode focuses on a different case, with an over-arching narrative that details how these gangs used EncroChat to aid their criminal endeavours. Talking to BBC Sounds, Metropolitan Police officers reveal how they used the criminals’ messages to uncover arms dealing, expose murder plots, major drug trafficking, and money laundering operations.

Gangster Presents… Catching the Kingpins is available to hear as a boxset on BBC Sounds from Sunday 7th January, and weekly on BBC Radio 4 at 1.30pm. It is a BBC Radio 5 Live commission.

The podcast is produced by BBC Studios, the producer is Andrew Hosken and the executive producer is Innes Bowen. It was commissioned by Louise Kattenhorn for BBC 5 Live and Radio 4.