CIA Thugs, Drugs and Terrorism with True Crime Author Evan Wright

Episode 1 : Byliner TV

Episode Synopsis

Walter Kirn hosts Evan Wright on BylinerTV for a shocking and incredible discussion about the connection between the mafia, CIA, and the war on terror. Detailing shadow-soldier Ricky Prado’s life’s work, we learn how a suspected murderer and compulsive weightlifter rose to run the anti-terrorism unit of the CIA.

Guest Bio

Evan Wright has gone from working as a critic for Hustler magazine, to being one of the most celebrated immersive journalists in the country. His series of reports with the US military in Iraq for Rolling Stone was subsequently made into the landmark series, Generation Kill.
Additionally, he has written the true-crime books, “How to Get Away With Murder in America,” “American Desperado,” and “Hella Nation,” in addition to penning the screenplay for the adaptation of “Cocaine Cowboys” to a scripted feature film.

Episode Breakdown

00:01 Welcome to Byliner with Walter Kirn.
00:30 Introducing Evan Wright.
01:12 Ricky Prado and the background of a CIA-Mafia connection.
02:26 The early days of cocaine in Florida-the mafia and Cuba.
08:14 Cocaine begins flooding Miami and the country.
09:13 Ricky and Albert Sanpedro form a bond and ‘fraternity’ over violence and drug dealing.
13:17 Ricky Prado becomes a hitman.
17:29 A C.I.A. recruit turns to the drug trade.
26:51 Ricky Prado goes to work for the CIA.
28:47 The rise and fall of Ricky Prado in the CIA.
32:29 Ricky Prado looks to cooperate with the Federal Investigators as the CIA stonewalls them.
36:17 Prado rises to the senior ranks of the CIA-Targeted Assassinations.
39:46 Cofer Black and Ricky Prado move to Blackwater and get dirty work done.
44:00 Still out there, and working for shadowy private firms.
45:40 Why does the CIA exist? To break laws.
48:28 Response to the book-from Prado himself.

Additional Links

http://www.vanityfair.com/contributors/evan-wright
http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Author/AuthorPage/0,,1000061958,00.html
http://byliner.com/evan-wright/stories/how-to-get-away-with-murder-in-america-excerpt
http://www.hbo.com/generation-kill/index.html
http://byliner.com/
http://twitter.com/walterkirn/