True Criminals

In Part Two of this special three part series from True Criminals, the Brink’s-Mat robbery enters a darker and far more complicated phase. The gold is gone, melted down and scattered through a web of handlers, front businesses and international money laundering networks stretching from London to the Caribbean.

Hosts Martin and Helen continue the story with former Metropolitan Police Commander and former head of the Flying Squad, Roy Ramm, who reveals how detectives tried to recover the stolen bullion and unravel the criminal empire growing around it. From tense prison meetings with convicted robbers Mickey McAvoy and Brian Robinson, to secret negotiations involving missing gold, Roy describes the extraordinary behind the scenes efforts to claw back the proceeds of Britain’s biggest bullion robbery.

The episode explores the rise of notorious underworld figures Kenneth Noye, Brian Reader and John “Goldfinger” Palmer, and the difficulties police faced proving criminal handling once the bullion had been melted beyond recognition. Roy also reflects on the murder of undercover detective John Fordham, the emotional toll it took on Scotland Yard, and the increasingly sophisticated surveillance operations used to track those involved.

As the investigation expands beyond armed robbery into offshore banking, corrupt professionals and global money laundering, Brink’s-Mat becomes something much bigger than a single heist. It becomes the blueprint for modern organised crime in Britain.

This is the story of hidden fortunes, criminal networks, failed deals, and the long shadow cast by the Brink’s-Mat gold.

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Support the Show

Listen ad free and access our full catalogue, including a True Criminals coffee mug, on Patreon at ⁠⁠www.patreon.com/truecriminals⁠⁠. 

As an independent podcast, we rely on listener support. You can also donate via PayPal

⁠https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=YQVFJR5766BJE⁠

Follow True Criminals

Follow us on Instagram at ⁠⁠@true.criminals⁠⁠ and subscribe to our YouTube channel at ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@True-Criminals⁠⁠.

Connect with Martin Brunt

Follow Martin on Twitter at ⁠⁠@skymartinbrunt⁠⁠. Discover more about his career and the cases he’s covered by reading his book, No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason: Dispatches from a Crime Reporter, available here: ⁠⁠https://amzn.eu/d/g1WisSY⁠⁠.

Connect with Helen Fospero

Follow Helen on Instagram at ⁠⁠@helenfospero⁠⁠ and check out her podcast, The Convex Conversation, here: ⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575⁠⁠.

Credits

True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global. 

Visit ⁠⁠www.audiobleachglobal.com/truecriminals⁠⁠ for more information. 

Executive Producer: Lee Mann. 

Producer: Russell Barnes. 

Audio Production: BLEACHED

Music Composition:BLEACHED

Artwork: BLEACHED
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this special episode of True Criminals, we examine the latest Operation Captura campaign, the long-running international manhunt led in partnership with the National Crime Agency, Crimestoppers, Spanish law enforcement, and UK policing partners.

Marking 20 years of Operation Captura, authorities have released a new Most Wanted list featuring 12 fugitives believed to be hiding in, or linked to, Spain. The men are wanted in connection with serious offences including murder, drug trafficking, and money laundering.

Since launching in 2006, Operation Captura has helped locate and apprehend 98 out of 111 fugitives featured through public appeals — proving that information from the public can make a real difference.

Areas linked to this year’s fugitives include Tenerife, Marbella, Alicante, and Malaga.

As the National Crime Agency states: “Spain is not a safe haven for fugitives.”

⚠️ IF YOU SEE OR RECOGNISE A FUGITIVE, DO NOT APPROACH THEM. REPORT THEM IMMEDIATELY.

☎️ UK CRIMESTOPPERS: 0800 555 111☎️ CRIMESTOPPERS SPAIN: 900 926 111

ALL REPORTS TO CRIMESTOPPERS ARE COMPLETELY ANONYMOUS.Crimestoppers is an independent charity. They do not ask for your name, cannot trace your call or IP address, and you will never have to give evidence in court. Your information could help bring dangerous offenders to justice while keeping your identity protected.

Find out more:• National Crime Agency• Crimestoppers UK• Operation Captura

................................

Support the Show

Listen ad free and access our full catalogue, including a True Criminals coffee mug, on Patreon at ⁠www.patreon.com/truecriminals⁠. 

As an ind

ependent podcast, we rely on listener support. You can also donate via PayPal

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=YQVFJR5766BJE

Follow True Criminals

Follow us on Instagram at ⁠@true.criminals⁠ and subscribe to our YouTube channel at ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@True-Criminals⁠.

Connect with Martin Brunt

Follow Martin on Twitter at ⁠@skymartinbrunt⁠. Discover more about his career and the cases he’s covered by reading his book, No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason: Dispatches from a Crime Reporter, available here: ⁠https://amzn.eu/d/g1WisSY⁠.

Connect with Helen Fospero

Follow Helen on Instagram at ⁠@helenfospero⁠ and check out her podcast, The Convex Conversation, here: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575⁠.

Credits

True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global. 

Visit ⁠www.audiobleachglobal.com/truecriminals⁠ for more information. 

Executive Producer: Lee Mann. 

Producer: Russell Barnes. 

Audio Production: BLEACHED

Music Composition:BLEACHED

Artwork: BLEACHED

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When six masked men burst into the Brinks Mat warehouse near Heathrow in the early hours of 26 November 1983, they expected cash. Instead, they stumbled upon nearly 6,800 gold bars worth £26 million, the biggest bullion robbery in British history. What followed would become one of the most notorious and far reaching criminal investigations the UK has ever seen.

In Part One of this special three part series from True Criminals, hosts Martin and Helen unravel the violent raid that shocked Britain and changed organised crime forever. From terrified security guards and an inside man who opened the vault doors, to career criminals Kenneth Noye, Brian Reader and “Mad” Mickey McAvoy, we trace the chaotic first days after the robbery and the desperate race to turn stolen gold into cash.

Joining us in the studio is former Metropolitan Police Commander and former head of the Flying Squad, Roy Ramm, who brings extraordinary insight into the investigation from the perspective of Scotland Yard. Roy explains how Brinks Mat marked the beginning of a colder, more sophisticated era of British organised crime, and why the murder of Detective Constable John Fordham changed the case forever.

This is the story of greed, violence, corruption and the “Curse of Brinks Mat”, a case whose fallout still echoes decades later.

Support the Show

Listen ad free and access our full catalogue, including a True Criminals coffee mug, on Patreon at ⁠www.patreon.com/truecriminals⁠. 

As an independent podcast, we rely on listener support. You can also donate via PayPal

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=YQVFJR5766BJE

Follow True Criminals

Follow us on Instagram at ⁠@true.criminals⁠ and subscribe to our YouTube channel at ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@True-Criminals⁠.

Connect with Martin Brunt

Follow Martin on Twitter at ⁠@skymartinbrunt⁠. Discover more about his career and the cases he’s covered by reading his book, No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason: Dispatches from a Crime Reporter, available here: ⁠https://amzn.eu/d/g1WisSY⁠.

Connect with Helen Fospero

Follow Helen on Instagram at ⁠@helenfospero⁠ and check out her podcast, The Convex Conversation, here: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575⁠.

Credits

True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global. 

Visit ⁠www.audiobleachglobal.com/truecriminals⁠ for more information. 

Executive Producer: Lee Mann. 

Producer: Russell Barnes. 

Audio Production: BLEACHED

Music Composition:BLEACHED

Artwork: BLEACHED
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Just as he appeared to be edging closer to release, Charles Bronson was abruptly transferred to one of the most restrictive environments in the UK prison system. In this True Criminals briefing, we examine the circumstances surrounding his sudden move to HM Prison Wakefield and his placement inside what is known as the cage, effectively a prison within a prison.

The decision was made without prior warning to his legal team, raising immediate concerns. Access to his solicitor was limited, his artwork withheld, and no clear explanation was provided by the authorities. The cage itself is reserved for those deemed the highest risk, involving extreme isolation and minimal human contact.

The timing is particularly significant. Bronson’s parole hearing, already delayed, is expected later this year, and recent expectations had been that he would move to a less restrictive regime to demonstrate progress. Instead, events appear to have taken a markedly different course.

There has since been a development. Bronson has been moved out of the cage and into a Close Supervision Centre, though conditions remain tightly controlled. Questions persist as to why these decisions were taken and what impact they may have on his bid for release.

This episode sets out the latest verified information, the concerns raised by his legal team, and the wider implications for a case that continues to attract national attention.

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Support the Show

Listen ad free and access our full catalogue, including a True Criminals coffee mug, on Patreon at ⁠⁠www.patreon.com/truecriminals⁠⁠.

As an independent podcast, we rely on listener support. You can also donate via PayPal

⁠https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=YQVFJR5766BJE⁠

Follow True Criminals

Instagram: ⁠⁠@true.criminals⁠⁠
TikTok: @truecriminalspodcast

Connect with Martin Brunt

Follow Martin on Twitter at ⁠⁠@skymartinbrunt⁠⁠. Discover more about his career and the cases he’s covered by reading his book, No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason: Dispatches from a Crime Reporter, available here: ⁠⁠https://amzn.eu/d/g1WisSY⁠⁠.

Connect with Helen Fospero
Follow Helen on Instagram at ⁠⁠@helenfospero⁠⁠ and check out her podcast, The Convex Conversation, here: ⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575⁠⁠.

Credits
True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global.

Visit ⁠⁠www.truecriminals.co.uk for more information

Executive Producer: Lee Mann.
Producer: Russell Barnes.
Audio Production: BLEACHED
Music Composition: BLEACHED
Artwork: BLEACHED
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of True Criminals, we revisit the haunting case of Muriel McKay, the 1969 kidnap victim whose body has never been found.

Joining us in the studio is her grandson Mark Dyer, who shares a deeply personal update on the family’s relentless search for answers. After offering a one million pound reward, a new lead emerged that pointed to a possible burial site behind a betting shop in East London, triggering a dramatic excavation and a discovery that briefly raised hopes of a breakthrough.

But as forensic testing begins and questions remain, we ask the crucial question: could this really be her, or is this another dead end in one of Britain’s most enduring mysteries.

Support the Show

Listen ad free and access our full catalogue, including a True Criminals coffee mug, on Patreon at ⁠www.patreon.com/truecriminals⁠. 

As an independent podcast, we rely on listener support. You can also donate via PayPal

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=YQVFJR5766BJE

Follow True Criminals

Follow us on Instagram at ⁠@true.criminals⁠ and subscribe to our YouTube channel at ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@True-Criminals⁠.

Connect with Martin Brunt

Follow Martin on Twitter at ⁠@skymartinbrunt⁠. Discover more about his career and the cases he’s covered by reading his book, No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason: Dispatches from a Crime Reporter, available here: ⁠https://amzn.eu/d/g1WisSY⁠.

Connect with Helen Fospero

Follow Helen on Instagram at ⁠@helenfospero⁠ and check out her podcast, The Convex Conversation, here: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575⁠.

Credits

True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global. 

Visit ⁠www.audiobleachglobal.com/truecriminals⁠ for more information. 

Executive Producer: Lee Mann. 

Producer: Russell Barnes. 

Audio Production: BLEACHED

Music Composition:BLEACHED

Artwork: BLEACHED
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices