Cocaine Inc., the investigative podcast series produced by The Times, The Sunday Times and News Corp Australia, has surpassed one million downloads.
Launched last June, the award-winning series has been exploring the global Cocaine trade; a multi-billion-dollar industry where profits are counted in millions and losses measured in lives.
Over the course of a year, Fiona Hamilton, chief reporter of The Times, David Collins, Northern editor of The Sunday Times, and Stephen Drill, reporter for News Corp Australia, undertook the investigation. They went to ten cities across six countries, covering more than 50,000 kilometres to uncover the truths of this shadowy world.
The series features exclusive interviews with law enforcement officers, drug dealers, former gangsters and even a cash mule; alongside personal stories of those who have lost loved ones to the cocaine trade.
Cocaine Inc. won the Innovation Award at last year’s Society of Editors’ Media Freedom Awards and is shortlisted at the New York Radio Festival and The Press Awards later this month.
It is also shortlisted at the UK’s True Crime Awards and the Publisher Podcast Awards.
Tim Levell, Programme Director for Times Radio, said: “Reaching one million downloads is a testament to the power of investigative journalism and audio storytelling.
“Cocaine Inc. has resonated with audiences because it sheds light on a global issue with humanity, urgency, and unparalleled insight. This milestone reflects the power of collaboration and the enduring importance of investigative reporting.”
Dan Box, editorial director, audio for News Corp Australia, added: “From the start, this has been a unique collaboration between journalists working on opposite sides of the planet to trace the cocaine trade around the world.
“Very few media organisations would have the ambition or ability to attempt something on this scale, and I’m delighted to see that it worked.”
You can listen to Cocaine Inc. here: https://podfollow.com/cocaine-inc.
