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HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons hosts the most downloaded sports podcast of all time, with a rotating crew of celebrities, athletes, and media staples, as well as mainstays like Cousin Sal, Joe House, and a slew of other friends and family members who always happen to be suspiciously available.
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On this week's Tall Boy Radio, hosts Gaz and Beans are honoured to welcome a titan of criminal investigation, Retired Lieutenant Commander Vernon Geberth, to delve deep into one of the most sprawling, intricate, and utterly frustrating cases he ever tackled. This is the unbelievable true story of "Operation Octopus," a fascinating chapter pulled directly from the pages of his essential book, The Godfather of Homicide.
Get ready for a comprehensive breakdown of a case that began innocently enough but quickly metastasized into a terrifying, multi-layered criminal enterprise. We start at the supposed centre: a deadly, planned store robbery murder plot. Gaz and Beans press Vernon on how the immediate aftermath of that violent scene hinted at something much bigger, prompting his team to pull at a thread that quickly unravelled the tapestry of organised crime.
Vernon shares the fascinating details of how that single planned robbery and murder exposed a massive operation involving the upper echelons of the Mafia. This wasn't just low-level thugs; this was a sophisticated ring dealing in multiple high-stakes crimes. Central to the investigation was a staggering amount of counterfeit money flooding the region—a clue that immediately brought the formidable resources of the Secret Service into the fray. Geberth details the critical, often tense, partnership with the federal agents tasked with tracing the origins and distribution of the funny money.
Beyond the paper trail, the Octopus had its tentacles deep in drug trafficking. We explore the dangerous world of undercover operations Vernon's team had to execute, putting agents in genuine, life-threatening peril to infiltrate both the counterfeiting and narcotics distribution networks. Geberth gives listeners a rare look behind the scenes, discussing the immense logistical challenges of running parallel stings and the meticulous planning required to keep sources alive.
But as with any great true-crime saga, the enemy wasn't just the Mob. Vernon pulls no punches when recounting the persistent, crippling interference from above. He details the specific challenges posed by incompetent supervisors and the internal bureaucracy that repeatedly threatened to pull the plug on the investigation. Hear the moments where the entire case hung by a thread, jeopardised not by a criminal act, but by incompetence from the guy that you report into. Gaz and Beans explore the mental toll this internal struggle took on the detectives trying to bring a major criminal operation down while simultaneously battling their own command structure.
Operation Octopus is a gripping testament to relentless detective work, bureaucratic warfare, and the unwavering dedication required to dismantle a criminal empire. It’s a classic Geberth case that proves the reality of homicide investigation is often far stranger, more frustrating, and more exhilarating than any fiction. Tune in for the full, detailed account of this epic saga.
Buy Vernon's book here
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