Edward C.

Fukuoka’s Underworld: The Last Stronghold of Japan’s Ruthless Yakuza

An investigative record of Fukuoka’s Kudo-kai: The "specially dangerous" Yakuza syndicate that used rocket launchers and grenades to wage war on the Japanese state. Read the gritty chronicle of the war between the city of Fukuoka and the Kudo-kai.

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Fukuoka’s Underworld: The Last Stronghold of Japan’s Ruthless Yakuza

Criminals

Map the geography of the criminal underworld. Explore the physical hideouts, headquarters, and territories of history’s notorious figures, from mobster estates to the sites that defined their illicit empires.

Namba and Minami: The Neon Labyrinth of the Yakuza’s Fading Empire

Namba and Minami: The Neon Labyrinth of the Yakuza’s Fading Empire

Explore the rise and fall of the Yakuza in Namba and Minami. A deep dive into the history, the 2011 exclusion laws, and the disappearing neon underworld of Osaka.

Marseille: The Capital of the Mediterranean Underworld and the French Connection

Why did the CIA ally with the Mafia in Marseille? Discover the dark 'Mediterranean Noir' history of the city that once refined 90% of America's heroin under the bright Provençal sun.

Edward C.

Hotel Nacional de Cuba: From Mafia Playground to Cold War Fortress

Tragedies & Disasters

Hotel Nacional de Cuba: From Mafia Playground to Cold War Fortress

Explore the dark history of the Hotel Nacional de Cuba: From the 1946 Mafia summit to the 1962 Missile Crisis tunnels, discover the site where history was made.

Medellín’s Comuna 13: From War Zone to Graffiti Paradise

Inside the vertical maze of Comuna 13: A record of Escobar’s sicarios, the 2002 blackout massacre, and the mass graves of a mountain that refused to stay silent.

Barrio Pablo Escobar: The Living Architecture of Medellín’s Most Complex Moral Crisis

A deep dive into the history of Barrio Pablo Escobar in Medellín: the cinderblock fortress built by a drug lord to house the dispossessed and buy a seat in Congress. Explore the neighborhood where the drug lord is still worshipped.

Santa Mónica District, Cali: The Gilded Bunkers of the Cali Cartel Gentlemen

Explore the Santa Mónica district in Cali, Colombia—the former headquarters where the Cali Cartel's Rodríguez Orejuela brothers ran a global cocaine empire from fortified luxury mansions.

Kabukichō: The Neon Labyrinth and the Shadows of the Yakuza

Step into the Neon Labyrinth. From post-war ashes to the Yakuza’s golden age, discover the gritty history and dangerous allure lurking behind the blinding lights of Kabukichō, Shinjuku.

Nada Ward, Kobe: The Heart of Japan’s Yakuza Empire

Discover the hidden underworld of Nada Ward, Kobe — the secret headquarters of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan’s most powerful yakuza syndicate. Explore its rise from gambling dens to a criminal empire, its brutal code of loyalty, and how its influence still lingers in modern Japan.

Hacienda Nápoles: Pablo Escobar’s Extravagant Playground and Its Dark Legacy

Step inside Hacienda Nápoles, the opulent private estate of Pablo Escobar, where luxury and violence coexisted. Once a playground for the world’s most notorious drug lord, this sprawling ranch—complete with a private zoo, replica of the Parthenon, and hidden tunnels—was funded by blood money and built on fear.

Little Saint James: The Dark Paradise of Jeffrey Epstein

Step inside the dark and disturbing world of Little Saint James, the private Caribbean island that became the epicenter of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes. Once a luxurious retreat for the elite, this 72-acre paradise hid a sinister reality: a hub for the sexual exploitation of underage girls, facilitated by Epstein’s wealth, power, and connections.

Eastern State Penitentiary: Inside America’s First Modern Prison and Its Haunting Legacy

Step inside Eastern State Penitentiary, the world’s first true penitentiary, where solitude was both punishment and torture. Explore its revolutionary design, the psychological horrors of its Pennsylvania System, infamous inmates like Al Capone, and the eerie legends that haunt its crumbling walls.

La Catedral: Pablo Escobar’s Luxury Prison and the Farce That Fooled Colombia

Discover La Catedral, Pablo Escobar’s infamous ‘luxury prison’ hidden in Colombia’s mountains, where the drug lord lived in comfort while running his empire. Explore the farce that fooled a nation, the corruption that built it, and the ruins that still haunt Medellín’s darkest chapter.

Edward C.