To Catch a King: 5. Travel Agents
6/10/202635 min
A Turkish smuggler and his money man reveal more about alliances between criminal gangs.
A journalist and an ex-soldier search for the identity of a people smuggler believed to be responsible for thousands of illegal crossings to the UK by small boats and lorries.
They start with a false name: Kardo Ranya. A man who has evaded arrest for several years by keeping his real identity a closely guarded secret. It makes it near impossible for law enforcement agencies to issue and international arrest warrant.
Sue and Rob know what he looks like from social media posts advertising his crossings and lifestyle. Their search takes them across Europe and to the Middle East, where they discover a network of powerful smugglers operating from a town in Northern Iraq.
It’s two years since Sue and Rob located a gang leader in their podcast Intrigue: To Catch a Scorpion and the illegal business of migrant journeys is more dangerous and ruthless than before.
Their investigation reveals the inner mechanics of the smuggling trade and shows in close focus the people who currently control it as they search for a kingpin behind dangerous crossings to the UK by boat and lorry.
A secret meeting, a missing person and a worried family. Who is the man connecting them?
The series is recorded and presented by Sue Mitchell and Rob Lawrie
It’s produced by Joel Moors
Original music is by Mom Tudie and sound design and mix is by Tom Brignell
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. [gentle music] Incredible true stories shared by people from around the world.
Speaker 2· Soundbite0:10
Something really strange happened to me.
Sue Mitchell· Host0:13
It was getting more and more bizarre. I didn't know who I could trust.
Speaker 40:17
I did not think we were ever gonna make it out alive.
Speaker 10:20
Lives Less Ordinary is the podcast where real life is often stranger than fiction.
Speaker 50:26
G'day. My name's Brolga, and I am a full-time kangaroo mother.
Speaker 10:29
Lives Less Ordinary from the BBC World Service. Listen now wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Sue Mitchell· Host0:37
[gentle music] [muffled talking] Yeah, so we got to the airport.
Rob Lawrie· Host0:46
There's more stuff in it.
Sue Mitchell· Host0:47
It's chaos inside.
Rob Lawrie· Host0:49
Certainly is.
Sue Mitchell· Host0:50
Go over here 'cause it's shorter. Thank you. There are two things that have brought us here to Istanbul. The man we're looking for, who uses the alias Kardo Ranya, has spent time here. He's a kingpin in the world of people smuggling, and we've seen him photographed here in social media posts before he removed them all.
Rob Lawrie· Host1:12
Just imagine these smugglers are responsible for flooding Europe and the UK with people. Uh, in particular, vulnerable Afghans.
Sue Mitchell· Host1:19
And actually, you can come quite easily from so many countries to here.
Rob Lawrie· Host1:23
Yeah.
Sue Mitchell· Host1:23
Crisscrossing the globe. The second reason we're here, Istanbul's