{"id":6823,"date":"2026-01-16T08:53:05","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T06:53:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/?p=6823"},"modified":"2026-01-16T08:53:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T06:53:08","slug":"kingpins-wednesdays-1900-starts-21-january-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/kingpins-wednesdays-1900-starts-21-january-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"KINGPINS\u00a0(WEDNESDAYS @ 19:00, STARTS\u00a021 JANUARY 2026)\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Synopsis:<\/em><\/strong> – Each episode of Kingpins focuses on one city, one criminal enterprise and one boss, tracking an illicit industry from foot soldiers and their victims to the person at the very top \u2013 the kingpin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criminal organisations are carefully structured and brutally run. Like a legitimate business, there\u2019s a hierarchy of underlings, operatives and decision makers. And there\u2019s one person at the very top, pulling the strings \u2013 the kingpin. But how do they make it there?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This series explores the steps taken to reach the pinnacle of a crime gang and the vicious behaviour required to stay there. Using unprecedented access to criminals from across the globe, the kingpins\u2019 motivations are analysed and exposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Episode Highlights<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Episode 1 \u2013 21 January 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Mexico\u2019s Tiger King)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the debut episode of Kingpins, host Ben Zand travels to Mexico to meet with a high-ranking drug lord affiliated with the notorious Sinaloa Cartel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Episode 2 \u2013 28 January 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(The Arms Dealer of Lebanon)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this episode, Ben goes to war-torn Lebanon to explore the covert world of arms dealing and meets a prominent arms dealer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Episode 3 \u2013 4 February 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(The UK’s Crack Cocaine Gangs)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This episode sees Ben investigate the working-class gangs that control the crack-cocaine trade in Northern England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t miss Kingpins on Wednesdays at 19:00 on S3 and SABC Plus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For media enquiries<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caroline Phalakatshela<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Publicity Specialist \u2013 Video Entertainment<\/p>\n\n\n\n

072 382 2032\/ phalakatshelamc@sabc.co.za<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Synopsis: – Each episode of Kingpins focuses on one city, one criminal enterprise and one boss, tracking an illicit industry<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":6824,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"pgc_sgb_lightbox_settings":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[234,239],"tags":[],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KINGPINS-UK-1.jpg",1080,567,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KINGPINS-UK-1.jpg",1080,567,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KINGPINS-UK-1.jpg",1080,567,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KINGPINS-UK-1-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KINGPINS-UK-1-300x158.jpg",300,158,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KINGPINS-UK-1-1024x538.jpg",990,520,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KINGPINS-UK-1.jpg",1080,567,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KINGPINS-UK-1.jpg",1080,567,false],"exsc_200x144":["https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KINGPINS-UK-1-200x144.jpg",200,144,true],"vodi-480x270-crop":["https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KINGPINS-UK-1-480x270.jpg",480,270,true],"vodi-696x677-crop":["https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KINGPINS-UK-1-696x567.jpg",696,567,true],"vodi-990x440-crop":["https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KINGPINS-UK-1-990x440.jpg",990,440,true],"masvideos_video_large":["https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KINGPINS-UK-1-640x360.jpg",640,360,true],"masvideos_video_medium":["https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KINGPINS-UK-1-480x270.jpg",480,270,true],"masvideos_video_thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KINGPINS-UK-1-120x67.jpg",120,67,true],"masvideos_movie_large":["https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KINGPINS-UK-1-600x567.jpg",600,567,true],"masvideos_movie_medium":["https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KINGPINS-UK-1-300x450.jpg",300,450,true],"masvideos_movie_thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/KINGPINS-UK-1-150x225.jpg",150,225,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Katlego Marungwana","author_link":"https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/author\/marungwanak\/"},"rttpg_comment":7,"rttpg_category":"Media Center<\/a> Media Office<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Synopsis: – Each episode of Kingpins focuses on one city, one criminal enterprise and one boss, tracking an illicit industry","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6823"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6823"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6823\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6825,"href":"https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6823\/revisions\/6825"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sabc3.co.za\/sabc3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}