Deep Cover Presents: Snowball
Pushkin Industries
Deep Cover is a show about people who lead double lives. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jake Halpern reveals webs of deception and dark underworlds, through interviews with federal agents and convicted criminals.
Deep Cover Presents: Snowball. A special limited series from the Unravel Podcast team at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Ollie Wards' family lost everything after their brush with a charming Californian con woman. As he embarks on a quest to find out how she did it, why she did it, and where she is now, he opens the door on a mystery that spans decades and across continents.
Binge episodes of Deep Cover Presents: Snowball early and ad-free with a Pushkin+ subscription. Find Pushkin+ on the Deep Cover show page in Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus.
In the sixth season of Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah, Jake Halpern and acclaimed investigative journalist Jess McHugh unravel an epic six-year deception that upended lives of countless people. Sarah Cavanaugh was many things: A decorated veteran. A Marine who saved her comrades. A young woman fighting cancer. She was stoic, humble, tough. In short: a hero. Sarah was everything people wanted her to be—until she wasn’t. Turns out, no one knew the real Sarah. Not her comrades. Not her wife. No one. Jake and Jess interview all of the key sources—including Sarah, herself—to tell this sprawling tale.
Season five covers the rise and fall of George Santos, the former Republican Congressman from New York, and the stories—many of which were not true—he told about his life and credentials.
Season four, The Nameless Man, tells the epic tale of two federal agents who investigate a rumor about a murder that supposedly took place 15 years prior. It is also the story of a family searching for answers about why their brother was killed. These two storylines collide in a courtroom in Philadelphia, where murder, memory, and morality go on trial.
Season three, Never Seen Again, tells the story of two women living on opposite sides of the country, who went missing in the summer of 1999. Seven years later, their stories collided when a small town detective got a tip and became convinced that if he could solve one mystery, he’d solve the other.
Season two, Mob Land, is about a high-rolling lawyer who joins forces with the feds to try to bring down one of the most powerful criminal syndicates in the country.
Season one, The Drug Wars, tells the story of an FBI agent who goes undercover with a biker gang, and follows a trail of clues that eventually leads to the US invasion of a foreign country.
Deep Cover drops on Mondays. To hear episodes early and ad-free, subscribe to Pushkin+ in Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus.
iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.
Deep Cover Presents: Snowball. A special limited series from the Unravel Podcast team at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Ollie Wards' family lost everything after their brush with a charming Californian con woman. As he embarks on a quest to find out how she did it, why she did it, and where she is now, he opens the door on a mystery that spans decades and across continents.
Binge episodes of Deep Cover Presents: Snowball early and ad-free with a Pushkin+ subscription. Find Pushkin+ on the Deep Cover show page in Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus.
In the sixth season of Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah, Jake Halpern and acclaimed investigative journalist Jess McHugh unravel an epic six-year deception that upended lives of countless people. Sarah Cavanaugh was many things: A decorated veteran. A Marine who saved her comrades. A young woman fighting cancer. She was stoic, humble, tough. In short: a hero. Sarah was everything people wanted her to be—until she wasn’t. Turns out, no one knew the real Sarah. Not her comrades. Not her wife. No one. Jake and Jess interview all of the key sources—including Sarah, herself—to tell this sprawling tale.
Season five covers the rise and fall of George Santos, the former Republican Congressman from New York, and the stories—many of which were not true—he told about his life and credentials.
Season four, The Nameless Man, tells the epic tale of two federal agents who investigate a rumor about a murder that supposedly took place 15 years prior. It is also the story of a family searching for answers about why their brother was killed. These two storylines collide in a courtroom in Philadelphia, where murder, memory, and morality go on trial.
Season three, Never Seen Again, tells the story of two women living on opposite sides of the country, who went missing in the summer of 1999. Seven years later, their stories collided when a small town detective got a tip and became convinced that if he could solve one mystery, he’d solve the other.
Season two, Mob Land, is about a high-rolling lawyer who joins forces with the feds to try to bring down one of the most powerful criminal syndicates in the country.
Season one, The Drug Wars, tells the story of an FBI agent who goes undercover with a biker gang, and follows a trail of clues that eventually leads to the US invasion of a foreign country.
Deep Cover drops on Mondays. To hear episodes early and ad-free, subscribe to Pushkin+ in Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus.
iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Dec 23, 2021 • 27min
The Origin of Ned’s Novel, Plus a Sneak Peek of Deep Cover Season Two
The launch of Deep Cover Season 2 is just a month away. Until then, we bring you a conversation between host Jake Halpern and screenwriter/author James Coyne about the genesis of Ned’s novel and the role it played in Jake’s writing of season one. Also, in this episode–a sneak peek of Deep Cover season 2: Mob Land. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 21, 2020 • 28min
The Supply Side
Jake delves into one piece of the puzzle that he didn’t quite get into in season one but has continued to intrigue him: the source. In this episode, you’ll meet Tommy Powell, a former smuggler who guides us through the import side of the marijuana industry. Starting out as a small time dealer in Michigan, Tommy winds up in Colombia inspecting marijuana crops and working as a liaison between farmers and other smugglers. Eventually, Tommy claims, he became one of the first smugglers to bring in really big loads of Colombian weed to the United States. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 31, 2020 • 44min
Episode 9: 1989
Ned gets too close with a female source, a dangerous move that stands to end his marriage and perhaps even his career at the FBI. Meanwhile, tensions between the U.S. and Noriega ramp up. President Bush calls for an invasion of Panama. The final act in our saga ends with a full blown war. The first version of Ned’s unpublished novel was written by James Coyne and edited by Andrea McLaughlin. Voice acting by Walton Goggins. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 24, 2020 • 31min
Episode 8: The Political Shitstorm
Word gets out that the smugglers have a silent partner who is none other than Manuel Noriega – the ruler of Panama, a close ally, and a top CIA asset. The three kingpins (Leigh Ritch, Mike Vogel, and Steven Kalish) all testify before Congress. Noriega is indicted in federal court. Meanwhile, Ned gets a call from a Colombian woman who says she can give him intel about suppliers. Ned thinks he finally has a shot at the source. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 17, 2020 • 32min
Episode 7: The Honeymoon is Over
This is the story of Leigh Ritch’s escape. It begins with his friends, Tommy Lee and Heather Locklear, visiting the Cayman Islands on their honeymoon. They start fighting, make a ruckus, and Leigh eventually takes them to Jamaica. From there, Leigh hopes to flee to Portugal, but the FBI has something else in mind. Meanwhile, back in Detroit, Ned helps lead a raid on Mike Vogel’s mansion. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 10, 2020 • 37min
Episode 6: The Silent Partner
As Ned is in Grand Cayman working undercover to investigate Leigh Ritch, he hears talk about a “general” sometimes called “Pineapple Face.” That can only be the Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, who, it turns out, has effectively become the syndicate's launderer and protector. The FBI realizes it’s on to something serious, especially when the CIA comes knocking and starts asking all kinds of suspicious questions. The little investigation that began with bikers in Detroit has now implicated the Panamanian dictator – a valuable CIA asset. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 3, 2020 • 35min
Episode 5: A Different Kind of Animal
The kingpin of the smuggling syndicate – Leigh Ritch – is safely out of reach in the Cayman Islands. But he’s worried. One of his partners, the Gentleman Smuggler, is in custody. Leigh’s network may soon be exposed. He grows more paranoid, thinking his house is bugged. The syndicate's security guy, Shine, says he knows a guy who can sweep Leigh’s house. His name is Ed Thomas. (Yep, that’s Ned). So, Ned gets special permission to do undercover work abroad and sets off to Grand Cayman with Shine in tow.The first version of Ned’s unpublished novel was written by James Coyne and edited by Andrea McLaughlin. Voice acting by Walton Goggins. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
9 snips
Jul 27, 2020 • 39min
Episode 4: The Gentleman Smuggler
Shine takes Ned to Beaufort, North Carolina, where an abandoned boat full of marijuana had been discovered years prior. Locally, that case had gone cold, but Shine knows all about it. It was the work of an activist turned marijuana importer named Steven Kalish AKA Skip AKA the Gentleman Smuggler, a nickname earned because of his charismatic personality and distaste for violence. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 20, 2020 • 35min
Episode 3: El Dorado
Ned makes his move on Shine by baiting him into a chili cook-off. It turns out Shine is also looking for an out, as he’s come under suspicion from his boss, a massive drug distributor named Mike Vogel. Shine runs security for Vogel’s operation, but Vogel comes to suspect that Shine is a traitor. After Shine gets shot, he’s willing to cooperate with Ned.The first version of Ned’s unpublished novel was written by James Coyne and edited by Andrea McLaughlin. Voice acting by Walton Goggins. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 13, 2020 • 33min
Episode 2: What Will the Neighbors Think?
As Ned goes deeper undercover with Toby, making busts and infiltrating biker gangs, his wife Kathy begins to worry that things are going too far. But Ned is hooked, hearing chatter about a smuggling syndicate, a massive drug warehouse, and a source nicknamed Shine, who might have intel on the whole operation. Meanwhile, down in Louisiana, an abandoned smuggling barge turns up, and local authorities find a single clue: the name Shine, etched into a notepad belonging to the smugglers.The first version of Ned’s unpublished novel was written by James Coyne and edited by Andrea McLaughlin. Voice acting by Walton Goggins. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
