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Diego A.

Slauson Avenue and the Rollin' 60s: LA's Largest Crip Gang

A single street in South Los Angeles produced the largest Crip gang in the city, a war that split every gang in LA in two, and a rapper who tried to undo all of it.

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Slauson Avenue and the Rollin' 60s: LA's Largest Crip Gang

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.

Piru Street, Compton: The Block That Founded the Bloods

Piru Street, Compton: The Block That Founded the Bloods

A residential block in Compton with no plaque, no monument — and a 1972 meeting that created one of America's largest street gang networks. Why here?

Hong Kong: The Triad Shadows and the Ghost of the Walled City

Did you know the modern glitter of Hong Kong was built on a foundation of secret societies and shadow governments? For over a century, the Triads were Hong Kong's real government. Read the full story.

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Hacienda La Manuela: The Bombed Ruins of Pablo Escobar's Lakeside Paradise

A bombed mansion, $100 million hidden in the walls, and a butler who lived in the ruins for 30 years. The full story of Escobar's forgotten lake house.

Norman’s Cay: The Logistics Hub of the Medellín Cartel

Discover the dark history of Norman’s Cay, where Carlos Lehder hijacked a Bahamian island for the Medellín Cartel. Explore the sunken drug plane, the corruption, and the logistics of the 1980s cocaine air bridge.

Guadalajara: The Headquarters of Mexico’s First Narco-Federation

Explore the dark history of the Guadalajara Cartel and Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo. Uncover the rise of "The Federation," the deep state corruption, and the tragic murder of DEA agent Kiki Camarena that ignited the modern drug war.

Ciudad Juárez: North America’s Most Violent Border City

Dust, drones, and the Lord of the Skies. Step into the iron gate of Ciudad Juárez, where the global supply chain meets a high-tech cartel war. A raw look at the city that never stops fighting for its soul.

Tijuana: The Bloodiest Battleground of Mexico’s Cartel Wars

Where the American Dream hits a steel wall. An investigative record of Tijuana’s cartel history, the digital border crisis, and the human cost of reinvention.

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.

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 of Kabukichō. 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.

Edward C.