The Man Who Supplied Britain’s Heroin But Dodged a Murder Conviction
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The inside scoop on the man who helped create Britain’s heroin market, and the secret war to stop him.
Gigi Bakir was a ruthless Turkish Cypriot kingpin who built the UK’s first industrial-scale heroin operation in the 1970s.
From knife fights in North London nightclubs to secret smuggling tricks, Bakir controlled the supply lines that fed Britain’s growing heroin market, moving drugs from the Golden Crescent through Europe and straight into London.
Then in a stunning twist... the smuggler turned informant.
Working both sides of the law, Bakir fed information to investigators while continuing to run his own drug empire.
In this episode of Narco Warriors, you’ll hear:
- How Turkish networks took over Europe’s heroin trade
- The violent rise of Gigi Bekir
- The smuggling techniques that evaded detection
- How he avoided conviction for a fatal stabbing
- And why he chose to become a “supergrass
A huge thank you to our guest Peter Walsh, author of “Drug War: The Secret History.” Peter has spent years uncovering the real stories behind the smugglers, the investigators, and the secret war that shaped modern Britain, and his insight into figures like Gigi Bekir is unmatched.
And there’s more big news…
Peter has just revealed that his book “The Betrayer,” co-written with undercover investigator Guy Stanton, has inspired a major six-part Netflix series starting May 7.
“LEGENDS” is written by Neil Forsyth (The Gold, Guilt), and stars Tom Burke as Guy Stanton, alongside Steve Coogan and Hayley Squires. The story dives into a covert HM Customs unit that infiltrated the drug underworld using fake identities, known as “legends.”
These are the Narco Warriors.
New episodes every Monday.