Episode 5: Contraband

ESPN's 16-part narrative audio series Pin Kings tells the true-crime story of two friends turned sworn enemies in South Florida's drug trade in the 1980s and '90s. Alex DeCubas and Kevin Pedersen were undefeated, state-champion, All-American wrestlers on their Miami high-school team. They were photographed together in Sports Illustrated. Then Colombian cocaine upended their lives. Hosted by Brett Forrest and Jon Fish and named best podcast by New York Festivals, Pin Kings delves deeply into the deadly exploits of Kevin and Alex. Devastated by personal tragedy, Alex falls into the trade. Drugs destroy Kevin’s wife and family, and he pledges his life to avenging what traffickers have taken from him. Once brothers, each man grows to detest what the other stands for, but their lives and families cannot be disentangled. In their cutthroat worlds, Alex and Kevin can trust only each other. In a sweeping narrative that spans the 1970s to now, from Miami’s drug-charged growth, through the War on Drugs, and into the present, as aging drug runners muse on greed, regret, the adventures of youth, and the lasting power of brotherhood, Pin Kings breaks new ground in ESPN storytelling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pin Kings is a 16-episode podcast that tells the story of two All-American high school wrestlers, teammates and friends who end up on the opposite side of the War on Drugs. In Episode One you meet Alex and Kevin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pin Kings is a 16-episode podcast that tells the story of two All-American high school wrestlers, teammates and friends who end up on opposite ends of the War on Drugs. In Episode Two: Learn why a submarine is being constructed in Bogota, nearly 300 miles off the ocean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Episode Three we meet Kevin, the self-made wrestler whose work ethic made him a state champion but still wasn't enough to please the one person who matters most to him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In episode four, Alex, the natural athlete meets a new friend who introduces him to wrestling, and eventually another endeavor he becomes really good at, too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode five explains why Colombia is the capital for producing cocaine, and how the profit margins led to the growth of drug cartels and the birth of the smuggling business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Episode Six we meet Barry Zimbler, Palmetto High's Hall of Fame wrestling coach and the source of Alex and Kevin's All-American careers, camaraderie, and rivalry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Episode Seven, Alex excels at the University of Georgia while Kevin struggles at West Point. Their hometown Miami is changing and Alex goes back and fits right in with the scene. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In episode eight, Alex loses his biggest supporter and his life begins to go off the rails. Then a friend introduces him to something new, something dangerous.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex starts stealing drugs from drug traffickers. This puts his life in danger, but also leads to the opportunity that would put him at the top of the smuggling trade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices