Drycleanercast: Espionage, Terrorism & Geopolitics

In this episode, Chris speaks with German investigative journalist Manuel Bewarder about the Jan Marsalek spy network and the landmark UK trial that exposed it. They unpack how the former Wirecard executive allegedly directed a Bulgarian spy ring from Moscow, targeting journalists, dissidents, and even U.S. military facilities in Germany. Drawing on thousands of Telegram messages revealed in court, Manuel explains how the network operated, how close it came to violence, and what the case reveals about modern Russian espionage—from freelance-style proxy networks to sabotage plots and battlefield intelligence collection. They also explore ongoing investigations in Austria and Germany, and what Marsalek’s continued presence in Russia tells us about his ties to the Kremlin. Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, global issues, and current affairs.Find more about Manuel and his reporting on his website: https://manuelbewarder.com/Please share this episode using these linksAudio: https://p

This week on Espresso Martini, Chris and Matt examine a set of stories pointing to a more volatile intelligence and political landscape. They unpack Poland’s investigation into whether Jeffrey Epstein functioned as a long-running collector of kompromat tied to Russian interests, and what the available evidence does — and does not — tell us about his relationship with Moscow. In Germany, the expulsion of a Russian military attaché and the arrest of an alleged spy accused of mapping defense and drone infrastructure highlight Berlin’s shift toward treating Russian intelligence activity as operational preparation for sabotage on NATO soil. The episode also explores mounting concerns around DNI Tulsi Gabbard, from the delayed handling of a highly sensitive whistleblower complaint to her unusual involvement in election-related investigations, raising questions about politicization and oversight. Chris and Matt then turn to Donald Trump’s Greenland brinkmanship, the role NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte played in

Investigative journalist Florian Flade returns to discuss Russia's Harmony Undersea Surveillance System, a project aimed at protecting its nuclear submarine fleet. Florian and Chris cover the international collaboration involved in Florian’s investigation, the strategic importance of the Harmony system, and the challenges of reporting on sensitive military topics. Florian also highlights the broader implications of Russia's military activities in the Arctic and the ongoing efforts to counteract Russian procurement networks for Western technology.Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, global issues, and current affairs.Follow Florian’s blog and connect on social mediaBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/florianflade.bsky.socialX: https://x.com/FlorianFladeBlog: https://ojihad.wordpress.com/Florian’s reporting discussed in the episodehttps://www.tagesschau.de/investigativ/ndr-wdr/russland-harmonie-unterwasser-spaehsystem-atomwaffen-100.htmlhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/10/23/r

In this comprehensive discussion, Sam Lichtenstein from RANE (Risk Assistance Network & Exchange) joins Chris to dissect their annual geopolitical and security forecast. Sam provides insights into the geopolitical landscape for 2026, highlighting the challenges of predicting human behavior, the rise of violent conflicts, and the implications of AI and cybersecurity threats. They cover regional dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Americas, emphasizing the interconnectedness of these issues and the potential for political violence in the US. Sam also discusses the breakdown of the unipolar order and its impact on global security.Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, global issues, and current affairs.Read RANE’s 2026 Annual Forecast: https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/2026-annual-forecastSupport Secrets and SpiesBecome a “Friend of the Podcast” on Patreon for £3/$4: https://www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpiesBuy merchandise from our shop:

Shane Harris joins Matt to discuss his latest reporting for The Atlantic on one of the most destabilizing ideas circulating inside the Trump administration: the U.S. acquisition of Greenland. Shane explains how an idea once dismissed as a punchline is now being treated by U.S. and European officials as a real contingency, and why Denmark and Greenland view it as an existential threat. They examine how the proposal took shape inside Trump’s orbit, why political and intelligence pressure campaigns may already be backfiring, and what unilateral action—by force or fiat—would mean for NATO and the future of the transatlantic alliance.Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, global issues, and current affairs.Read Shane’s reporting on Greenland with Isaac Stanley-Becker and Jonathan Lemire: https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/01/greenland-trump-venezuela-nato/685511/Read Shane’s other work at The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/shane-harris/Follow Shane on X and B

In this conversation, Jack Murphy discusses his military background and transition into journalism, focusing on his reporting of Operation Absolute Resolve. He shares insights into the planning and execution of the operation, the legal and strategic implications, and the broader context of U.S. foreign policy. Murphy emphasizes the importance of understanding the consequences of military actions and the need for caution in future operations.Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, global issues, and current affairs.Read Jack’s reporting on the raid for The High Side: https://thehighside.substack.com/p/bold-delta-force-raid-leads-to-captureSubscribe to The High Side: https://thehighside.substack.comFollow Jack on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jackmurphyrgr.bsky.socialPlease share this episode using these linksAudio: https://pod.fo/e/378a90YouTube: https://youtu.be/etDt_Lu2dsASupport Secrets and Spies Become a “Friend of the Podcast” on Patreon for £3/$4: https://www.patreon.com/Secr

The U.S. capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro marks one of the most consequential unilateral actions Washington has taken in the Western Hemisphere in decades. Chris and Matt unpack what actually happened, why it matters, and how this operation tests long-standing assumptions about sovereignty, precedent, and America’s role abroad—especially in a world where rivals are watching closely. They then turn to the death of Aldrich Ames, reflecting on how the CIA’s most damaging traitor reshaped U.S. intelligence, shattered trust from the inside, and still serves as a cautionary tale about institutional blind spots, complacency, and the enduring cost of betrayal.Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, global issues, and current affairs.Support Secrets and SpiesBecome a “Friend of the Podcast” on Patreon for £3/$4: https://www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpiesBuy merchandise from our Redbubble shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/secret

Former CIA analyst-turned-entrepreneur Rupal Patel joins Chris for a candid conversation about reinvention, resilience, and what it takes to build a life that actually fits. Rupal talks about identity shifts after leaving the intelligence world, why self-reflection matters more than motivation, and how community can make or break big transitions. She shares practical frameworks she uses with clients—including her unique approach to time management—and introduces the idea of “tactical ignorance”: cutting through noise, protecting your mental bandwidth, and focusing on what truly moves the needle. Rupal’s definition of success is simple, and tougher than it sounds: liking who you are.Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, global issues, and current affairs.Learn more about Rupal: https://www.rupalypatel.comOrder From CIA to CEO: https://www.rupalypatel.com/from-cia-to-ceo.htmlFollow Rupal’s Substack: https://rupalypatel.substack.comPlease share this episode using these linksAudio: https

Remy Osman joins Chris to unpack the strange, high-stakes world of Putin’s “shadow fleet”—the tankers and ghost ships helping Russia move oil and dodge sanctions. Remy traces how he got into ship-spotting during quarantine in Singapore, then explains how open-source sleuths identify suspicious vessels: “zombie” identities, odd tracking behavior, evasive paperwork, and patterns that don’t match legitimate trade. They dig into why Singapore sits at the center of global maritime traffic, what makes these aging tankers an environmental time bomb, and why enforcement is so legally and politically messy even when everyone can see what’s happening in plain sight.Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, global issues, and current affairs.Follow Remy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sgshipspottingPlease share this episode using these linksAudio: https://pod.fo/e/36dfd8YouTube: https://youtu.be/8gIaVW7FzWsSupport Secrets and SpiesBecome a “Friend of the Podcast” on Patreon for £3/$4: https

Criminologist Federico Varese joins Chris to talk John le Carré—David Cornwell—and what his fiction got right about power, corruption, and the criminal underside of the modern Russian state. Varese, a co-curator of Oxford’s Tradecraft exhibition at the Bodleian, shares how he first met Cornwell in the early 1990s and later advised him on Our Game and Our Kind of Traitor, drawing directly on his research into Russian organized crime. From there, Varese unpacks the post-Soviet trajectory he traces in Russia in Four Criminals—how “free markets” without a strong rule-of-law state produced predation, oligarchic capture, and ultimately what he calls a “mafia state,” where independent organized crime is squeezed out by a system that fuses political and economic power. The conversation also gets into how Russian security services use criminals for deniable operations abroad and how cybercrime functions as a tolerated ecosystem—until the state needs it—turning hackers into a ready-made tool of hybrid warfare.Subscribe

Former senior CIA officer John Sipher joins Chris to break down what Western audiences get wrong about Russian intelligence—starting with what it’s actually like to operate inside one of the world’s most hostile counterintelligence environments. Sipher explains the KGB-to-Putin throughline, why Moscow treats intelligence as a frontline tool of regime survival, and how “active measures” and reflexive control shape Russia’s political warfare abroad. He also pushes back on myths of intelligence work, digs into how the West misread Russia’s strength and Ukraine’s will to fight, and lays out what containment—and a post-Putin future—might realistically look like. The conversation closes with a sharp look at disinformation, conspiracy culture, and why Hollywood keeps getting espionage wrong.Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, global issues, and current affairs.More about John and Spycraft Entertainment: https://spycraftentertainment.com/john-sipherPlease share this episode using these lin

David Tuch, author of The Wireless Operator, joins Chris to tell the stranger-than-fiction story of Harold Derber—a wartime wireless operator who later ran blockade-busting weapons to Israel before reinventing marijuana smuggling in the 1970s. David explains how a loophole created by the 1970 Controlled Substances Act briefly made it legal to hold drugs in international waters—and how Derber exploited it with a “mothership” fleet, offloading tons of marijuana at sea. They break down why Deber’s flagship, the Night Train, became law enforcement’s obsession, built on counter-surveillance and tradecraft designed to keep informants out. The conversation then moves into Miami and Wall Street—money laundering, the Gambinos, and First Jersey Securities—alongside Derber’s documented ties to Cuban intelligence.Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, global issues, and current affairs.Learn more about David and his work: https://davidtuch.comOrder The Wireless Operator: https://www.iconbooks.com

Former chief technology officer of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Dr. Anthony Vinci, joins Matt to explain why intelligence has broken out of the classified world—and why everyday citizens are now on the front lines. Anthony walks through three past “intelligence revolutions” and argues we’ve entered a fourth, driven by China and AI: intelligence expanding beyond war and politics into economics and tech, a “whole-of-society” competition that pulls in companies and universities, and a shift from targeting governments to targeting entire populations. They discuss “inanity of evil” disinformation operations, China’s push toward a global panopticon, the case for treating economic espionage as tier-one national security, and the coming collision of AI, autonomy, and trust—ending with what it means to “think like an intelligence officer” without becoming the thing we’re fighting. Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, global issues, and current affairs. Order The Fourth Inte

In this episode, Chris speaks with Dr Taras Kuzio about the deeper forces shaping Russia’s war against Ukraine and the faltering U.S.-Russia-Ukraine peace talks. Kuzio explores Vladimir Putin’s obsession with history and identity, the existential stakes the war now holds for the Kremlin, and the political, economic and social pressures that make genuine negotiation nearly impossible. They unpack the Trump administration’s pro-Russian tilt, European hesitation, the resilience and innovation of Ukraine’s defence sector, and the deep divisions within the global Russian diaspora. The conversation also looks ahead to what 2026 may bring, the risks of a post-Putin Russia, and why the West urgently needs a coherent strategy if it hopes to shape the outcome of this conflict. Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, global issues, and current affairs. Follow Dr. Kuzio on X: x.com/TarasKuzio Read Dr. Kuzio’s recent reporting on Ukraine "Ukrainian Corruption Investigation Reveals Derkach’s R

In our final Espresso Martini of the year, Chris and Matt reflect on the DC National Guard shooting, the alleged Afghan CIA-linked gunman, and what the case says about how America treats its wartime partners once the war ends. They then turn to Trump’s latest “final” Ukraine peace offer and growing frustration in Europe as Moscow drags the war out on its own terms. The focus shifts to Venezuela, where Russian advisors, new air defenses, cartel politics, and U.S. forces raise the risk of conflict—and to post-Assad Syria, where ISIS is quietly regrouping amid a tenuous recovery. Finally, listener questions bring them to Pete Hegseth’s alleged no-quarter order, Tom Nichols’s case for accountability, and the long, dark tradition of animal spies—and some reflections on ten years of Secrets & Spies and where the show goes next. Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, global issues, and current affairs Please share this episode using these links Audio: https://pod.fo/e/36128f YouTube:

Former FBI Special Agent Jim Gaylord joins Matt to discuss Chasing Chi, his inside account of the multi-year hunt for Chi Mak, the low-key Southern California engineer at the center of a major Chinese spy ring inside America’s Navy industrial base. They walk through how a vague tip evolved into a full counterintelligence operation—trash pulls, covert entries, FISA surveillance, and a race to grab the Chi’s conspirators at LAX before stolen submarine and radar secrets left the country—and what the case reveals about China’s modern espionage threat. Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, global issues, and current affairs. Learn more about Jim and the Chi Mak case: chasingchibook.com Order Chasing Chi: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Chasing-Chi/James-E-Gaylord/9781493091966 Please share this episode using these links Audio: https://pod.fo/e/35c7dc YouTube: https://youtu.be/OxzTwaS5W5M Send in audience questions for the next Espresso Martini by December 4th! Email secret

Chris is joined by journalist Tom Mutch to discuss The Dogs of Mariupol and the realities of reporting from Ukraine’s front lines. Tom shares what it takes to work inside an active war zone—from the decision to stay during the invasion to the daily logistics of moving, sourcing, and staying alive. They dig into the resilience of Ukrainians under fire, the reach of Russian propaganda, and the social fractures between those who fought and those who fled. Tom also reflects on why documenting these stories matters and how Ukraine’s future could be shaped by the ingenuity and grit he’s seen on the ground. Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, global issues, and current affairs. Order The Dogs of Mariupol: https://www.bitebackpublishing.com/books/the-dogs-of-mariupol Please share this episode using these links Audio: https://pod.fo/e/35a2eb YouTube: https://youtu.be/yZQz7bUms3E Send in audience questions for the next Espresso Martini by December 4th! Email secretsandspiespodcast@gm

Chris Carr sits down with author Stephen Bates to discuss The Man Who Sold Honours and the extraordinary life of Maundy Gregory—actor, fixer, conman and sometime MI5 asset at the heart of Britain’s original cash-for-honours scandal. They unpack how Gregory monetised access to power, became the only person ever prosecuted under the 1925 law aimed at stopping the sale of honours, and what his story reveals about the long, murky history of buying peerages. The conversation then jumps to today’s political funding battles—from parties’ dependence on wealthy donors to recent cash-for-honours rows and Boris Johnson’s approach to transparency—to ask what all this says about the health of British democracy. Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, global issues, and current affairs. Order The Man Who Sold Honours: https://www.iconbooks.com/ib-title/the-man-who-sold-honours-2/ Find more about Stephen: https://www.stephenbateswriter.com Please share this episode using these links Audio: http

On today’s episode, Chris and former CIA analyst Yaya Jata Fanusie explore the evolution of digital currencies, focusing on central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), Bitcoin, and the implications for national security and global financial systems. They discuss the rise of China's digital currency, the concept of programmable money, and the potential for cryptocurrencies to challenge traditional financial systems and government control. The conversation also touches on the importance of data in geopolitical power and the regulatory landscape surrounding cryptocurrencies.Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, global issues, and current affairs.The Programmable State: The e-CNY and China’s Quest for Smarter Surveillance by Yaya J. Fanusie & Emily Jin | Lawfare: https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-programmable-state--the-e-cny-and-china-s-quest-for-smarter-surveillanceConnect with YayaOn LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yaya-jata-fanusie-87901738/On X/Twitter: https://x.com/S

Chris is under the weather this weekend, so in place of Espresso Martini we’re sharing his conversation with former CIA analyst Yaya Fanusie. They dig into the national security and geopolitical stakes of central bank digital currencies, the broader evolution of crypto, and China’s push to build a state-controlled system. Matt and Chris will return with a new Espresso Martini the first weekend of December.Send in audience questions for the next Espresso Martini by December 4th!Email secretsandspiespodcast@gmail.com, or reach out on social media via the links below.Please include your first name and general location if you’re comfortable.Support Secrets and SpiesBecome a “Friend of the Podcast” on Patreon for £3/$4: https://www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpiesBuy merchandise from our shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996Subscribe to our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dgFor more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.comCon