The story of Britain’s most notorious drugs baron explored on BBC Sounds podcast

“Curtis Warren’s story is one I have always wanted to cover, a man whose dealings spanned the globe all the way from Toxteth to a global empire - ultimately demonstrating the tragedy of a business mind wasted on criminality.”

BBC Radio 5 Live’s Gangster: The Story Of Curtis Warren takes a deep dive into the UK’s wealthiest drugs smuggler ahead of his expected release from prison this year.

From the team behind the acclaimed podcast Gangster: The Story Of Paul Massey, this new six-part series takes listeners on an extraordinary and dangerous journey from the streets of Toxteth to the sex clubs of Amsterdam and the opulent villas of the ruthless Cali Cartel in Colombia.

Curtis Warren - a scally who cut his criminal teeth in the Toxteth area of Liverpool - became the first gangster to be featured in the Sunday Times Rich List, reportedly earning upwards of £15m a week. One of the world’s most wanted criminals, he was codenamed Target One by Interpol and changed the face of drug smuggling in the UK by forging direct links with the cocaine cartels of Colombia.

Across the six episodes, journalist and presenter Livvy Haydock (Inside Britain’s Kidnap Gangs, BBC Three; Livvy haydock: My Hometown, BBC One; The Gangs Who Steel Your Puppies, VICE) meets some of Warren’s closest associates and biggest enemies, from those who spent time with him inside the UK’s toughest jails to the customs officers whose case against him was thwarted, and the police officers who finally brought him to justice.

Livvy Haydock says: “Curtis Warren’s story is one I have always wanted to cover, a man whose dealings spanned the globe all the way from Toxteth to a global empire - ultimately demonstrating the tragedy of a business mind wasted on criminality.”

It’s a story that involves police corruption at the highest level, the evasion of justice, gang wars which left five dead and many more injured, a TV Gladiator and illicit sexual encounters in a prison laundry room.

One question still remains however: the whereabouts of Warren’s fortune, reported to be nearly £200 million pounds.

Gangster: The Story Of Curtis Warren is available as a box set on BBC Sounds from 6 July.

Presenter: Livvy Haydock

Series Producer: Paul Grant

Assistant Producer: Scott Hesketh

Technical Producers: Matthew Dempsey and Richard Hannaford

Editor and Executive Producer: Carl Johnston