Podcast Summary: This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von

Episode #603 – Mariana van Zeller (August 16, 2025)

Main Theme

This episode features award-winning journalist Mariana van Zeller, host of the National Geographic series Trafficked. She joins Theo Von for an intense, wide-ranging conversation about her deep investigative work into black markets, cartels, trafficking, and the hidden economies shaping our world. With personal anecdotes, chilling stories from the field, and reflections on why people turn to crime, the episode dives into humanity behind headlines and exposes the systems enabling global illicit trade.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Mariana's Career and Emmy Wins

• Mariana recaps her journey as a journalist, sharing the emotional weight of long years of Emmy nominations without a win, finally taking one home last year ([01:17]–[01:46]).
  • Quote: “I think I had one of the highest nominations with no wins ever, which was like 46 before I got my first one.” —Mariana ([01:24])
• Discusses the challenge of making Trafficked—getting dangerous underworld figures to share their stories, building team trust, and ethical obstacles ([01:46]–[02:53]).

Inside the Cartel USA Episode

• The new season opens with cartel activity in the U.S., focusing on a shocking murder in small-town Georgia as evidence of cartel presence deeply rooted in “main street America” ([03:40]–[05:28]).
  • Cartel logistics: Major distribution through official U.S. border entry points, not just “sneaking through the woods”; widespread use of American-born operators ([06:21]).
  • Mariana’s reporting uncovers that "a lot of these cartel operators are actually American, American born, American raised, don’t even speak Spanish” ([06:25]).

War on Drugs & Systemic Corruption

• War on drugs labeled a “massive failure”; 1 million American deaths from opioid epidemic since 2000 ([05:40]–[06:04]).
  • “We’re just combating it the wrong way.” —Mariana ([05:40])

Humanizing the Underworld

• Mariana explains three reasons why people agree to risky interviews: ego (pride in their ‘profession’), impunity (due to endemic corruption), and a need to be understood ([08:23]–[10:50]).
  • “Their entrepreneurship and creativity just never ceases to surprise me.” —Mariana ([09:50])
  • The act of simply listening, rather than judging, enables connections with sources.

Dangers and Ethics of Fieldwork

• Shared the process and anxiety of securing interviews with dangerous figures, such as assassins in LA and South Africa ([13:32]–[18:05]).
  • Stories involve tense moments: interviewees showing weapons, setting strict ground rules, and emotional breakthroughs ([15:40]–[19:26]).
  • Memorable Moment: Assassin in South Africa realizes the trauma he inflicts mirrors his own childhood trauma, saying after the interview, “Nobody has ever been interested in my life or why I do what I do... it was a therapy session for him.” —Mariana ([21:32])

Crime as Circumstance, Not Destiny

• Explores societal and generational drivers into the underworld—how environment, poverty, and lack of opportunity produce criminals ([22:43]–[24:02]).
  • “No one is born wanting to be a criminal.” —Mariana ([21:33])
  • Example: Young men in marginalized communities aspiring to be “pimps” simply because those are their visible ‘success stories.’

Surveillance, Security, and Government Spying

• Shares chilling experiences of being surveilled in Vietnam, which mirrors broader global digital monitoring ([31:16]–[35:54]).
  • “We actually found out... they believed our phones were absolutely being tapped... and our vans were being tapped.” —Mariana ([34:17])

Bride Trafficking in Asia

• Detailed reporting from Vietnam and China on the sale and kidnapping of women, exacerbated by China’s one-child policy and cultural gender preferences ([38:38]–[43:42]).
  • Heartbreaking stories of women forced to choose between reunion with families and abandoning their own children ([41:09]).
  • Undercover footage of women being offered for sale in brothels, dark corridors, and the chilling normalization of trafficking ([46:39]).

Immigration Schemes and Fake Promises

• Discussed the pipeline of African children scammed in “soccer trafficking” plots and the enormous shame keeping many victims from seeking help ([44:51]).

Gray vs. Black Markets & the Hidden Third

• Approximately 38% of the global economy operates in gray and black markets (i.e., unlawful or unregulated trade), far exceeding most people’s estimates ([51:45], [52:02]).
  • “The drug trade alone is estimated at between 6 to $800 billion. That’s more than many GDPs put together.”
• Ghost guns: 3D-printed, untraceable firearms fueling cartel violence and crime in broad daylight, even in ordinary neighborhoods ([87:54]–[91:46]).
• Quote: “It’s everywhere. The black market, these illegal markets... they’re all around us.” —Mariana ([91:46])

Rehab Scams Targeting the Vulnerable

• New season exposes billion-dollar rehab scams targeting Native Americans and vulnerable addicts, especially in Arizona and California ([73:02]–[78:35]).
  • “They offer them free housing, but they don’t actually offer them any treatment. Or if they do, it’s shit treatment. And they’re charging insurance insane amounts of money for bogus treatment.” —Mariana ([74:53])
  • Whistleblower testimony, systemic government neglect, and a lack of prosecutions highlight a broken system ([79:48], [83:09]).

Militias in America: Patriotism or Danger?

• Explores the rise of armed militias like “Patriots for America”; blurs between patriotism, vigilantism, and systemic breakdown ([92:02]–[96:00]).
  • “There’s been a growth of militias... and we are more divided and torn apart than ever.” —Mariana ([92:48])
  • Emphasizes upholding democracy through voting and civic engagement, rather than paramilitary action ([95:30]).

Broader Reflections

• Both Theo and Mariana grapple with feelings of impotence and frustration with government inaction and the “political tool” of perpetual crisis ([81:02]–[105:56]).
  • Mariana reflects on balancing journalistic ‘exploitation’ of people’s nightmares with the importance of exposing the systems that allow suffering to persist ([49:15], [64:06]).
  • “It does feel bad sometimes. It just... day trip into somebody’s nightmare, essentially.” —Mariana ([64:42])

Personal Motivations & Upcoming Projects

• Mariana discusses the roots of her investigative drive: curiosity, upbringing without fear, and the ability to compartmentalize trauma ([70:32]).
• Announces a new podcast, The Hidden Third, aiming to go deeper into the clandestine world with anonymous guests and underworld perspectives ([65:36], [84:50]).

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “Tickling Voldemort is going to be on my bio.” —Mariana, joking about her unique approach to interviews ([27:06])
• “No one is born wanting to be a criminal.” —Mariana ([21:33])
• “We live a little bit on somebody’s nightmare for a day, and then we have the privilege of coming back.” —Mariana ([49:15])
• “Human beings are fascinating.” —Mariana ([109:26])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:17] – Mariana’s journey to her first Emmy win after 46 nominations
• [03:40] – Introduction of Cartel USA episode: Cartels’ presence in small-town America
• [06:25] – Cartel logistics and the prevalence of American-born operators
• [08:23] – Why criminals agree to talk: ego, impunity, the need to be understood
• [13:32] – Fieldwork dangers: Interviewing assassins in LA and South Africa
• [21:33] – Confronting the myth of innate criminality
• [31:16] – Experiences of surveillance and digital espionage during reporting
• [38:38] – Bride trafficking story: women and girls abducted and sold
• [44:51] – African soccer trafficking scam and shame silencing victims
• [51:45] – The sheer economic scale of black and gray markets
• [73:02] – Unpacking the Native American rehab scams
• [87:54] – Ghost guns and the changing face of street violence
• [92:02] – Discussion of American militias and modern vigilantism
• [105:11] – Comparison between 9/11 changes vs. opiate crisis lack of reform
• [107:17] – Defending democracy through deeper engagement, not armed conflict
• [109:05] – Details on new Trafficked season release

Tone and Style

The episode is an engaging, conversational deep-dive, mixing dark, heavy subject matter with humor, candid personal reflection, and Theo’s signature wit (“tickling Voldemort,” references to self-incrimination, and playful banter throughout). Mariana strikes a balance between gravity and hope, advocating for awareness-raising while refusing to sensationalize suffering.

For Listeners Who Haven't Tuned In

This episode delivers a high-adrenaline, emotionally resonant exploration of global black markets and the systems that allow them to exist. With eye-opening stories from trafficking, firsthand accounts of fieldwork, and reflections on empathy versus judgment, Theo and Mariana illuminate the stakes—and the humanity—beneath the surface of headline crime. If you want to understand the worlds hidden in plain sight, this conversation is unmissable.