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A
Can you tell me about how you did ultimately get arrested?
B
This all started a few years back when I wanted to sell my business.
A
Carlos Rafael was once in the fishing business. He owned the biggest fish plant and the biggest fleet of boats in the most valuable fishing port in America, Newborn Bedford, Massachusetts. And he had built it all himself. Around the docks, people called him the Codfather.
B
The name of the game is sharpen your knife.
A
For decades, Carlos seemed unstoppable, unbeatable. And no one was quite sure how he was able to keep it up.
B
Never has there been a ban this long.
A
Even as the fishing industry struggled all around him. A dramatic 77% cut in in the cod catch. Carlos kept on growing. But underneath that juggernaut of a business, there was a secret.
C
Some agencies thought he was involved in human trafficking or smuggling. Some people thought it was drugs.
A
A secret that Carlos guarded very carefully.
B
Those are both names? Yes.
A
Until he slipped up.
B
Hi, this is Xavier. How you doing? That's the salesman. How's it going? I'm Bob.
A
Sergey.
B
Hello. Hello. I regret that for the rest of my life. That son of a bitch. They would have never, never got me. But hey, it's over.
A
I knew all of this already. When I sat down to talk with Carlos Rafael. What I wanted to know was why he did it, why he risked everything, why he broke the law.
B
It was not for the money.
A
And the deeper I looked, the more complicated that question became. Because Carlos Rafael is a complicated man.
C
When you first met him, you'd say, oh, this guy's a mafiaso. But actually, he had a heart in the fishing industry.
A
He remains a deeply divisive figure.
B
If he wasn't born crooked, he must have learned it before he could talk.
A
Someone who inspires jealousy, fury. He is a product of his own moral depravity. And someone who, despite all his crimes, all his deceptions, a lot of people continue to root for. Do you blame him for what he did? Do you think what he did is wrong?
B
No, I don't.
C
No, I don't.
A
So who is the Codfather really? A folk hero. A crook. A righteous rebel. A selfish con man. I believe in order to judge the crimes of Carlos Rafael, you have to understand the business he was in and the entire system he set out to break. So in season three of the Big Dig, we go down to the docks to a place where food, work, nature, money and politics all meet. A place where dreams are born, fortunes are ruined, and the watchful eye of the government is always present. It's called catching The Codfather, episode one drops February 11th, right here on the Big Dig.
Host: Ian Coss (GBH News)
Episode: Introducing Season Three: Catching The Codfather
Date: February 4, 2026
This episode introduces Season Three of the acclaimed podcast, "The Big Dig," focusing on the dramatic saga of Carlos Rafael—known as “The Codfather”—a fishing tycoon from New Bedford, Massachusetts. Rafael’s story is one of ambition, secrecy, immense influence, and ultimately, criminal downfall. The season promises to delve deep into how one man came to dominate America’s most lucrative fishing port, the hush surrounding his business practices, and the broader system that enabled and contested his rule.
“The name of the game is sharpen your knife.” — Carlos Rafael (00:39)
“Some agencies thought he was involved in human trafficking or smuggling. Some people thought it was drugs.” — Interviewee (01:08)
“I regret that for the rest of my life. That son of a bitch. They would have never, never got me. But hey, it’s over.” — Carlos Rafael (01:25–01:47)
“It was not for the money.” — Carlos Rafael (01:59)
“Do you blame him for what he did? Do you think what he did is wrong?” — Ian Coss (02:41)
“No, I don’t.” — Carlos Rafael & Interviewee (02:42–02:43)
"I regret that for the rest of my life. That son of a bitch. They would have never, never got me. But hey, it's over." (01:25–01:47)
"When you first met him, you'd say, oh, this guy's a mafiaso. But actually, he had a heart in the fishing industry." — Interviewee (02:10)
"If he wasn't born crooked, he must have learned it before he could talk." — Interviewee (02:21)
"I believe in order to judge the crimes of Carlos Rafael, you have to understand the business he was in and the entire system he set out to break." — Ian Coss (02:44)
This season preview sets the stage for a gripping exploration—not just of Carlos Rafael’s personal saga, but of the murky world of commercial fishing, government regulation, and community identities. Listeners can expect a nuanced look at crime, culture, and the American experience as the season unfolds.
First episode drops February 11 on The Big Dig.