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cover of episode The World's Biggest Arms Trafficker Goes Down Hard

The World's Biggest Arms Trafficker Goes Down Hard

2025/2/25
logo of podcast The Underworld Podcast

The Underworld Podcast
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The chapter introduces the opulent life of Adnan Khashoggi, a Saudi arms dealer, and his eventual arrest in Switzerland. His dealings with the Marcoses and the Iran-Contra affair set the stage for his legal troubles.
  • Adnan Khashoggi was a prominent Saudi arms dealer known for his luxurious lifestyle.
  • He was involved in the Iran-Contra affair and had dealings with the Marcoses of the Philippines.
  • Khashoggi was arrested in Switzerland due to charges related to his association with the Marcoses.

Shownotes Transcript

When Adnan Khashoggi, Saudi arms dealer and self-styled world’s richest man, met with US officials to discuss the Ayatollah, it may have seemed like a chance to cash in corporate power for political clout. But the affair — and an ill-advised friendship with the kleptocratic leaders of the Philippines — would send Khashoggi’s businesses into a tailspin, and land him jail.

What came next was one of the most spectacular court cases of the era. And it finally shined a spotlight on the life and legends of a man whose lavish lifestyle was the envy of world leaders, and an up-and-coming Donald Trump.

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