In the final episode of our series on the war on drugs, we take a look at the present and future of this crisis with some help from Montel Williams and Dr. Sheila Vakharia. Yasmin Cader (ACLU) and Kris Henning (Georgetown Law) return for a roundtable discussion to offer their insight on the current state of the war on drugs and offer a hopeful outlook. From policy failures to glimmers of reform, we wonder, where do we go from here?

Stay tuned for bonus content with full interviews!

Follow The Show: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fraudstersLPN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraudsterslpn/

Discord: https://discord.gg/WRZ8zgusPT

Website: https://fraudsters.fm/

Follow the Hosts: https://www.instagram.com/seenanow/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/justin_williams_comedy

https://twitter.com/arielleaty 

Check out The Harm Reduction Gap by Dr. Sheila Vakharia and Let’s Be Blunt with Montel Williams 

Follow our Guests:

https://www.instagram.com/montel_williams/?hl=en

https://x.com/Montel_Williams

https://www.instagram.com/myharmreduction/?hl=en

https://x.com/myharmreduction

https://www.instagram.com/yasmin_cader/?hl=en

https://x.com/profkrishenning

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to ad-free new episodes.

What, you thought we were done talking about The War on Drugs?! Well, think again! We’re back with a special epilogue and we're diving into Operation Pipe Dreams, the infamous federal investigation that led to the arrest of Tommy Chong. Join us as we explore how this operation led by John Ashcroft and Mary Beth Buchanon targeted businesses selling drug paraphernalia across the country. We sit down with journalist Brian Conway for an in-depth look at the operation's impact, and Tommy Chong himself alongside his son, Paris, who share their experience getting busted and reflect on the evolving war on drugs. It's a wild ride through one of the most notable moments in the history of drug enforcement.

Follow The Show: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fraudstersLPN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraudsterslpn/

Discord: https://discord.gg/WRZ8zgusPT

Website: https://fraudsters.fm/

Follow the Hosts: https://www.instagram.com/seenanow/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/justin_williams_comedy

https://twitter.com/arielleaty 

Follow our Guests:

https://www.instagram.com/heytommychong/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/paristchong/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/elbrayanmiguel/

https://www.instagram.com/pghindependent/

Sources:

https://www.laweekly.com/chong-family-values/

https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/2003/February/03_crm_106.htm

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/operation-pipe-dream-10-y_b_2745740

https://collider.com/the-wolf-of-wall-street-jordan-belfort-tommy-chong/

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/real-wolf-wall-street-lived-190304316.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAALUINWjWcu9pmFFwl1XO5zewBMO7I0sXu_qS8YEWYEixh5aJ4UDIIqFJdR06DFb2gbD5B6i09_gPwroh-Z6gvveQYz2JQMzRKxBYKyTtQKjnya-3ud1iCd6YPnkTIzjIKrkT8MC94tyWOl1vH0xVd2-vAjm1HMR1xk70YEw7Mmh2&guccounter=2

https://www.legistorm.com/stormfeed/view_rss/385742/organization/95775/title/operations-pipe-dreams-and-headhunter-put-illegal-drug-paraphernalia-sellers-out-of-business.html

https://www.c-span.org/program/news-conference/anti-drug-initiatives/123135

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihDXmNzc9JA&t=40s

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to ad-free new episodes.

It’s the season finale of Fraudsters, and we’re reluctantly exploring the grim origins of America’s opioid crisis. From the Sackler family’s OxyContin empire, built on shameless marketing, fake science, and philanthropy-as-image-laundering, to John Kapoor’s Insys Pharmaceuticals, a scrappy underdog peddling fentanyl sprays, we unravel the fraud that fueled this epidemic. With half a million deaths, shattered communities, and contrasting fates for these corporate villains, it’s a class war in a pill bottle. Who paid the price—and who walked free?

Follow The Show: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fraudstersLPN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraudsterslpn/

Discord: https://discord.gg/WRZ8zgusPT

Website: https://fraudsters.fm/

Follow the Hosts: https://www.instagram.com/seenanow/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/justin_williams_comedy

https://twitter.com/arielleaty 

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/13/meet-the-sacklers-the-family-feuding-over-blame-for-the-opioid-crisis

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/01/business/01sackler.html

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a12775932/sackler-family-oxycontin/

https://theconversation.com/a-dangerous-method-in-defence-of-freuds-psychoanalysis-5989#:~:text=According to Freud's theory%2C mental,caused by early childhood trauma.

https://www.bmj.com/content/suppl/2005/07/18/331.7509.DC1

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/12-napp-pharmaceutical-holdings-rhmq8hnpfgx

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sackler-family-oxycontin-opioid-drug-scandal-british-connection-q3wd30s35

https://lithub.com/on-terminal-pain-and-the-origins-of-the-end-of-life-movement/

https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/27/obituaries/dr-arthur-sackler-dies-at-73-philanthropist-and-art-patron.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/19/business/raymond-sackler-dead-of-purdue-pharma.html

al-health-data/

https://casetext.com/case/kottayil-v-insys-therapeutics-inc/

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1516479/000143774915019892/R12.htm

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/page/file/947866/dl?inline

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/page/file/1010246/dl?inline

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/10/health/insys-opioid-bankruptcy.html?searchResultPosition=6

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/14/business/doubts-raised-about-off-label-use-of-subsys-a-strong-painkiller.html?action=click&module=RelatedCoverage&pgtype=Article®ion=Footer

Links to clips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaxlJXpwkzs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTR3R2jYw4Q&t=1127s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkeQifzvSNE&t=80s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtwFZwjCSTE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w327H5VNT9A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s8kybr-YFU

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to ad-free new episodes.

Get ready for one of the most sinister and heartbreaking frauds this week – the Kids for Cash scandal. Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan turned Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice system into their very own cash cow, sentencing kids to private detention centers they secretly profited from. How else are you gonna clear $330,000 of credit card debt…? From denying legal representation to forcing minors into facilities over petty offenses, their scheme destroyed lives for kickbacks. Join us as we unravel their twisted web of greed and power with guests Marsha Levick co-founder of the Juvenile Law Center and Corene Kendrick of the ACLU.

Follow The Show:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fraudstersLPN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraudsterslpn/

Discord: https://discord.gg/WRZ8zgusPT

Website: https://fraudsters.fm/

Follow the Hosts: https://www.instagram.com/seenanow/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/justin_williams_comedy

https://twitter.com/arielleaty

Follow Our Guests:

https://x.com/ck94117

https://x.com/marshalevick?lang=en

Sources:

https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-152/issue-30/extensions-of-remarks-section/article/E330-1

https://ursdayton.org/about/

https://thearc.org/

https://www.timesleader.com/archive/330195/news-local-news-523246-ciavarellas-wife-files-for-divorce-2

https://www.timesleader.com/top-stories/816416/ciavarella-denied-compassionate-release

https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/us/21judge.html?searchResultPosition=1

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/us/12brfs-JUDGESARECHA_BRF.html?searchResultPosition=13

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/28/us/28judges.html

https://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/national/20090328_judges_charges.pdf

https://www.newspapers.com/image/535978548/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/508543336/

https://jlc.org/news/lessons-kids-cash-part-2-all-children-must-have-access-legal-representation-court

https://jlc.org/cases/am-v-luzerne-county-juvenile-detention-center

https://www.newspapers.com/image/504007342/

Clips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO-bXCdZpMw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdhsf1u3JVY

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to ad-free new episodes.

Picture this: it’s the mid-'90s. Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise dominates the airwaves, and America’s crime hysteria is peaking. It’s the perfect time for a new villain to emerge: the “superpredator.” Tune in as we unravel the fear-mongering myth born from flawed statistics, Ivy League arrogance, and moral panic—spearheaded by Princeton professor John DiIulio. We explore how this theory intersected with the 1994 Crime Bill, fueling mass incarceration and devastating policies, with guests Kris Henning (Director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic at Georgetown Law) and Yasmin Cader (Deputy Director at the ACLU). Through stories like Terrance Lewis’s—wrongfully imprisoned for 22 years—we reveal the human cost of a lie that reshaped America’s justice system.

Follow The Show:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fraudstersLPN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraudsterslpn/

Discord: https://discord.gg/WRZ8zgusPT

Website: https://fraudsters.fm/

Follow the Hosts: https://www.instagram.com/seenanow/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/justin_williams_comedy

https://twitter.com/arielleaty

Follow Our Guests:

https://x.com/profkrishenning

https://www.instagram.com/yasmin_cader/?hl=en

Sources:

https://www.newsweek.com/did-liberals-put-black-america-behind-bars-297096[↩︎](about:blank#fnref1)

Martinson, R. "What works?—questions and answers about prison reform". Public Interest 1974↩︎

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/03/us/politics/bush-willie-horton.html[↩︎](about:blank#fnref3)

https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/1992-democratic-party-platform[↩︎](about:blank#fnref4)

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/1994-crime-bill-and-beyond-how-federal-funding-shapes-criminal-justice[↩︎](about:blank#fnref5)

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/6/20/18677998/joe-biden-1994-crime-bill-law-mass-incarceration[↩︎](about:blank#fnref6)

Clips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HY45DY2B8w&t=356s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izRCGHJmg0M&t=1568s

https://www.pbs.org/video/retro-report-on-pbs-season-1-episode-8-correcting-myth-superpredator/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0uCrA7ePno

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to ad-free new episodes.

In the summer of 1989, President George H.W. Bush’s War on Drugs needs a dramatic touch for his first national address: a bag of crack cocaine bought steps from the White House. The DEA zeroes in on Keith Jackson, an unsuspecting young dealer, luring him into a dangerous setup to secure the president’s controversial prop. As Bush’s speech electrifies the nation, Keith faces life-altering consequences, sparking questions about political theater, selective justice, and a deeply flawed system. Tune in now as we dive into the chilling tactics used in America’s zero-tolerance crusade with the help of our guest, journalist Jefferson Morley.

Follow The Show:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fraudstersLPN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraudsterslpn/

Discord: https://discord.gg/WRZ8zgusPT

Website: https://fraudsters.fm/

Follow the Hosts: https://www.instagram.com/seenanow/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/justin_williams_comedy

https://twitter.com/arielleaty

Follow our guest:

https://x.com/jeffersonmorley

Sources:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/tours/scandal/bushdrug.htm

https://dcplislandora.wrlc.org/islandora/object/dcplislandora%3A347387#page/27/mode/1up

https://file.notion.so/f/f/35cc2dfe-904c-4092-bad6-96c81acda7c4/dcc370ec-f359-4283-9c22-a5758bb6310a/D.C._STUDENT_IS_GIVEN_10_YEARS_IN_DRUG_CASE_-_The_Washington_Post.pdf?table=block&id=f1fbb853-ea9e-4704-b9ac-aa8350205be6&spaceId=35cc2dfe-904c-4092-bad6-96c81acda7c4&expirationTimestamp=1731456000000&signature=nN7Cu00VPq-ylGpJjuj5KroddB_75ZbPMeXMrcoDxus&downloadName=D.C.+STUDENT+IS+GIVEN+10+YEARS+IN+DRUG+CASE+-+The+Washington+Post.pdf

https://file.notion.so/f/f/35cc2dfe-904c-4092-bad6-96c81acda7c4/09fe9751-0988-45e8-8b6c-e25736ed042c/isikoff-0922_1989-full-text.pdf?table=block&id=f872be3d-4ad7-40f3-b412-fa8fa2e85de4&spaceId=35cc2dfe-904c-4092-bad6-96c81acda7c4&expirationTimestamp=1731456000000&signature=1wED3CdhQbVdtakW4sOFmGvfGaI2ElYLF9pJx-NjmOs&downloadName=isikoff-0922_1989-full-text.pdf

Clips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtlkyBk6rcc&t=1471s

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to ad-free new episodes.

This week we’re taking a step back to Miami, 1987. South Beach is buzzing, and the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) looks like any other bank—until you take a closer look. BCCI was no ordinary financial institution. It was a global hub for money laundering, arms deals, and shady alliances with everyone from Columbian drug lords to CIA operatives. In this episode, we unravel the rise and fall of BCCI, led by Agha Hasan Abedi. From secretive offshore accounts to "rent-a-face" deals with Arab monarchs, this was a bank that did it all...until it all fell apart. Tune in now to catch the full story!

Follow The Show:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fraudstersLPN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraudsterslpn/

Discord: https://discord.gg/WRZ8zgusPT

Website: https://fraudsters.fm/

Follow the Hosts: https://www.instagram.com/seenanow/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/justin_williams_comedy

https://twitter.com/arielleaty

Sources:

A Full Service Bank: How BCCI Stole Billions

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to ad-free new episodes.

Get ready for a deep dive into America’s anti-drug propaganda! This week, we’re tackling everything from Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” crusade to McGruff the Crime Dog and the DARE program. We’re digging up the roots of these campaigns, exploring how they reshaped public perception and exposing the contradictions of Nancy’s White House role. From the scare tactics of Harry Anslinger to those unforgettable ‘80s and ‘90s PSA (“This is Your Brain on Drugs” and so much more) we break down how these campaigns blamed users while ignoring the real issues behind addiction.

Follow The Show:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fraudstersLPN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraudsterslpn/

Discord: https://discord.gg/WRZ8zgusPT

Website: https://fraudsters.fm/

Follow the Hosts:

https://www.instagram.com/seenanow/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/justin_williams_comedy

https://twitter.com/arielleaty

Sources for this episode:

https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1987/03/06/971087.html?pageNumber=103

https://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-03/science-psas-do-anti-drug-ads-keep-kids-drugs/

https://www.marketplace.org/2019/03/26/advertisings-war-drugs-also-failed/

https://www.npr.org/2013/04/28/179658317/anti-drug-psas-do-they-work

https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/takeaway/segments/how-nancy-reagan-shaped-war-drugs

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1447241/

Clip Links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOnENVylxPI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB4rVJsy8z8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQXgVM30mIY&t=233s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hivkBw2JKfY&t=35s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KCAGzNv_QI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSFaDeRpSHA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJcbSbpr8w4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rb8z2BMrd60

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFE86cyltmU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ISXS5c5Cnk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2oqCf9i3rc&t=2542s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQEG8j0lgeE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EjUzterCf4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHQQwp_MpvU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOcNXoYsnWU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnHCnGRz7i4

https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/video/2024/06/11/return-dare-how-curriculum-has-changed-up-schools/

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to ad-free new episodes.

We're not done with Reagan just yet! This week, we’re honing in on the crack epidemic and its devastating impact on Black communities. We unpack the 1980s shift in American politics, where Reagan's policies expanded Nixon's "War on Drugs" and utilized racially coded language to criminalize Black Americans. We’ve got expert guests, Yasmin Cader, Dr. Sheila Vakharia, and Professor Anne Foster on the show to talk through the anti-drug legislation that introduced harsh mandatory minimums and sentencing disparities, targeting crack cocaine users disproportionately over powdered cocaine users. Hmmm… I wonder why…. All that and we touch on the media’s role in sensationalizing the “crack epidemic,” Congress’s bipartisan support for punitive policies, and all of the devastating consequences of Reagan’s militarization of the War on Drugs.

Follow The Show:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fraudstersLPN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraudsterslpn/

Discord: https://discord.gg/WRZ8zgusPT

Website: https://fraudsters.fm/

Follow the Hosts: https://www.instagram.com/seenanow/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/justin_williams_comedy

https://twitter.com/arielleaty

Follow Our Guests:

https://x.com/alfhistory

https://www.instagram.com/myharmreduction/?hl=en

https://x.com/myharmreduction

https://www.instagram.com/yasmin_cader/?hl=en

Sources for this episode:

https://www.brown.edu/Research/Understanding_the_Iran_Contra_Affair/v-on16.php[↩︎](about:blank#fnref1)

https://millercenter.org/president/reagan/essays/reagan-1981-firstlady[↩︎](about:blank#fnref2)

https://www.newspapers.com/image/313590547/[↩︎](about:blank#fnref3)

https://www.reaganfoundation.org/ronald-reagan/nancy-reagan/her-causes/[↩︎](about:blank#fnref4)

https://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/23/world/from-an-iranian-middleman-his-side-of-the-story.html[↩︎](about:blank#fnref5)

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/what-was-iran-contra[↩︎](about:blank#fnref6)

https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4475045/user-clip-neat-idea[↩︎](about:blank#fnref7)

https://theconversation.com/ronald-reagans-westminster-speech-why-it-is-still-relevant-40-years-later-183684[↩︎](about:blank#fnref8)

https://www.brown.edu/Research/Understanding_the_Iran_Contra_Affair/iran-contra-affairs.php[↩︎](about:blank#fnref9)

https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB2/storm.htm[↩︎](about:blank#fnref10)

https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/the-rise-and-fall-and-rise-and-fall-of-ricky-ross/[↩︎](about:blank#fnref11)

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to ad-free new episodes.

This week, we’re finally taking on Reagan and his starring role in the War on Drugs—there’s so much to unpack, we had to make it a two-parter. Reagan tackled the drug problem with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, ramping up incarcerations for nonviolent offenses and turning the fight against drugs into a military operation. In part one, we dive into Iran-Contra, Regan’s "October Surprise," Oliver North’s CV, and Freeway Ricky Ross—talking about how it all helped fuel the crack epidemic of the '80s.

Follow The Show:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fraudstersLPN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraudsterslpn/

Discord: https://discord.gg/WRZ8zgusPT

Website: https://fraudsters.fm/

Follow the Hosts: https://www.instagram.com/seenanow/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/justin_williams_comedy

https://twitter.com/arielleaty

Sources for this episode:

https://www.brown.edu/Research/Understanding_the_Iran_Contra_Affair/v-on16.php[↩︎](about:blank#fnref1)

https://millercenter.org/president/reagan/essays/reagan-1981-firstlady[↩︎](about:blank#fnref2)

https://www.newspapers.com/image/313590547/[↩︎](about:blank#fnref3)

https://www.reaganfoundation.org/ronald-reagan/nancy-reagan/her-causes/[↩︎](about:blank#fnref4)

https://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/23/world/from-an-iranian-middleman-his-side-of-the-story.html[↩︎](about:blank#fnref5)

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/what-was-iran-contra[↩︎](about:blank#fnref6)

https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4475045/user-clip-neat-idea[↩︎](about:blank#fnref7)

https://theconversation.com/ronald-reagans-westminster-speech-why-it-is-still-relevant-40-years-later-183684[↩︎](about:blank#fnref8)

https://www.brown.edu/Research/Understanding_the_Iran_Contra_Affair/iran-contra-affairs.php[↩︎](about:blank#fnref9)

https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB2/storm.htm[↩︎](about:blank#fnref10)

https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/the-rise-and-fall-and-rise-and-fall-of-ricky-ross/[↩︎](about:blank#fnref11)

Clip Links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip-tN81yrWg&t=33s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWEm6g0iQNI&t=2506s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Km3dx7wppA&t=49s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld2KOv_zWWw&t=23s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLWcgt55sgQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct3UxB696D4&t=87s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhtE70ucKOY&t=332s

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to ad-free new episodes.