Spotlight: Snitch City

4.9 (134)
TRUE CRIME
SERIES

Spotlight: Snitch City brings listeners inside the clandestine world of police informants through the story of one police department. Investigative reporter Dugan Arnett uncovers rampant misconduct and explores how, in a nation addicted to drugs, police have become addicted to informants.

EPISODE 1

EPISODE 1: Officer Pastillas

On the docks of New Bedford, Massachusetts, whispers about a rogue police officer harassing fishermen and stealing drugs come to a head aboard a scalloping boat late one night. The officer forces his way on board, saying an informant told him there would be drugs on board, and demands some. But when another officer, Mark Raposo, shows up, he thinks his colleague is in the middle of a “drug rip.” Now Raposo is ready to blow the whistle on what he’s seen. And it turns out that this officer’s abuse of the informant system is just the tip of the iceberg in this historic port city. *Note: this episode was updated Mar 12, 2025, to include a statement from police that the Globe received after the deadline. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

55 min
EPISODE 2

EPISODE 2: Blind Trust

Spotlight reporter Dugan Arnett receives a desperate phone call from an informant who’s now in prison. He says he's afraid for his life because other inmates know he cooperated with police. This informant always knew he’d be in danger if someone from his gang found out that he was a snitch. What he didn’t anticipate was being betrayed by police, including a New Bedford officer who shares information with a member of the informant's gang. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

43 min
EPISODE 3

EPISODE 3: The Chief

Meet New Bedford’s police chief, Paul Oliveira. He’s had a hand in both of the stories we’ve already heard. And the Spotlight Team's reporting shows there's a dark backstory behind Oliveira's rise to the top of the department. Oliveira wrote the playbook on using informants. In this episode, a former New Bedford narcotics cop who worked alongside the chief for nearly two decades agrees to go on the record about everything he’s seen… and taken part in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

36 min
EPISODE 4

EPISODE 4: Cops & Robbers

When Frank "Rizzo" Simmons was a big-time drug dealer in New Bedford in the '90s, he went toe-to-toe with a drug cop named Paul Oliveira. After a major bust of Frank’s headquarters, Oliveira tries to turn Frank into an informant. But snitching goes against everything Frank believes in. This won’t be the last time Frank will have to decide if he should cooperate. But the next time, it’s going to be harder to stay true to his code. Because next time, he'll be asked to snitch on Paul Oliveira. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

42 min
SEASON 1 TRAILER

Trailer

In a nation addicted to drugs, police across the country have become addicted to informants. Nowhere is this more apparent than in one New England port city, where police have been empowered to use informants to take down dealers by almost any means necessary. This is the story of a deeply flawed system, the flawed individuals working within it, and the injustices that can occur when no one’s watching. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2 min

See All Season 1 (5)

4.9

out of 5

134 Ratings

Gripping

3d ago

heorgiobno

Excellent reporting and audio production on a fascinating story
Snitch City

4d ago

Double R55

Look deeper into this and find out more about how the police are doing this with out any consequences.
PIGS

3d ago

Dead Rabbit 82

I love the guy who says most police arent dirty…. LOL. All police are taught in academy an us vs them mentality. They are taught from day 1 that everyone is a suspect, that anyone could be ready to kill them, and they teach them how to find charges for people who dont “cooperate” with them. Instead of being public servants, they teach cops to think they better than citizens and how to he tyrants. Ive never met an officer that their power hasnt gone to their heads and they violate constitutional rights on the regular. We need to compketely rebuild their pokicy and training and get rid of QUALIFIED IMMUNITY. Anyone who has immunity from laws the rest of us do not have a perceived power and ego over the rest of us. They cant be sued unless they violate very specific rights and they ALL abuse that. ALL POLICE.
Dirty nbpd

4d ago

bigbmp

Lets talk about how they stole $4600 from a individual that ran from them handcuffed and kept their mouth shut in front of a whole community and cameras or how about how they rated an individual and made a deal with him when they found drugs and he gave them three firearms that they placed into another raid just to meet the monthly quota let’s talk about it 💯

Spotlight: Snitch City brings listeners inside the clandestine world of police informants through the story of one police department. Investigative reporter Dugan Arnett uncovers rampant misconduct and explores how, in a nation addicted to drugs, police have become addicted to informants.