December 18, 2020 ▸ True Crime

Episode 543: Operation Odessa: Drug Cartels and Submarines

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: TuneIn | RSS

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about a true-crime story. It is a case that feels like the plot of the next Grand Theft Auto game. The first character is a Ukrainian mobster named Tarzan who owns a strip club called Porky’s (named after the classic 80’s movie) and who used to be an enforcer for the Gambino crime family. Additionally, the second character is an elite car and power boat salesman/thief/grifter from Miami who starts to sell black market military equipment from Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union. The third character? A member of the Cali Drug Cartel named, who is considered violent even among cartel members.

What do they have in common? Well, for one, the rapper Vanilla Ice. Next, they love to make money and do illegal things. Additionally, they are pretty awesome. They try everything from selling Russian military helicopters to impersonating Pablo Escobar to trying to buy a Soviet era submarine to sell 40 tons of cocaine per trip. The characters are unbelievable. The story even more so!

Visit Our Sources:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/operation-odessa-review-soviets-subs-and-lots-of-cocaine-1522358096

https://www.thedailybeast.com/strippers-cocaine-and-murder-the-crazy-true-story-of-two-crooks-pursuit-of-a-soviet-submarine

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tiller-russell-operation-odessa-chasing-down-ludwig-fainberg-juan-almeida-nelson-yester-operation-odessa/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Fainberg

https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/operation-odessa-how-a-russian-mobster-tried-to-sell-a-russian-sub-to-coke-smugglers-10218893

Film: Operation Odessa.