Ju Shardlow

Dec 1, 2023 | insider.com | Carter Thallon |Margaret Guzman |Ju Shardlow

Some of the top experts across the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines rate battle scenes in movies and television shows for realism. Dakata Brodie flew for the US Coast Guard for 13 years as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot and the US Army for eight years as a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilot. He breaks down several Coast Guard rescues. Former Royal Marines Commando Gareth Timmins dissects "Jarhead," "Sicario: Day of the Soldado," and other desert-warfare scenarios.

Oct 16, 2023 | insider.com | Kyle Desiderio |Ju Shardlow

Jeff Turner counterfeited over $1 million in US currency. He forged the 1996-series $100 bill and later the 2013 "blue note." He was indicted on federal conspiracy charges in 2019 and cooperated with the Secret Service, eventually serving 10 months in prison. According to Turner, the Secret Service said the bills he was manufacturing were the highest quality they'd seen in over 25 years. Turner speaks with Insider about the materials and processes required to make fake money.

Oct 2, 2023 | insider.com | Dylan Brzezinski |Ju Shardlow

Shaun Attwood is a former drug smuggler who ran a successful ring trafficking MDMA pills in the US in the '90s. He's been dubbed "the Walter White of the ecstasy market in Arizona," and he was arrested in 2002 and served six years in US jail. Attwood speaks to Insider about how ecstasy is processed, smuggled, and sold. He recounts his work with the New Mexican Mafia and rivalries with "Sammy the Bull" Gravano and the Gambino crime family.

Sep 20, 2023 | insider.com | Kyle Desiderio |Ju Shardlow

Robert Mazur is a former government agent for the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service intelligence division, and the Customs Service. He posed as an Italian American businessman named Robert Baldasare to go undercover to expose international money-laundering networks associated with the Cali cartel, gathering evidence via secret recordings and transfers. At its peak, the Cali cartel is estimated to have produced 80% of the world's cocaine supply.

Sep 5, 2023 | insider.com | Dylan Brzezinski |Ju Shardlow

John "Boxer" Mendoza is a former high-ranking member of the Nuestra Familia. He was part of the organization from 1994 to 2007 and was incarcerated at various California prisons, such as San Quentin, Pelican Bay, and Corcoran. Mendoza speaks with Insider about rivalry with the Mexican Mafia and Aryan Brotherhood, corrupt prison guards, attacks, and uprisings. He offers his opinions on San Quentin reform and rehabilitation.