12) The Thieves' Code

I'm John Walczak, host of the new podcast, Missing in Arizona. And I'm Robert Fisher, one of the most wanted men in the world. We cloned his voice using AI. Come on over, let's sing. In 2001,, Police say I killed my family and rigged my house to explode.

Back in 96, Atlanta was booming with excitement around hosting the Centennial Olympic Games. And then a deranged zealot willing to kill for a cause lit a fuse that would change my life and so many others forever. Rippling out for generations.

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What the traditional mafia is to Italy, the vori is to Russian organized criminal groups, or, as they're called in Russia, OPG. The vori were born in Soviet labor camps and eventually became the elite criminal class in Russia, known for a specific code of honor, one that had very strict guidelines around women.

The broskoi zakon, or thieves code.

He must forsake his family.

He must never work.

He must survive by criminal activities alone, help other thieves, and.

recruit and train young beginners in the trade, limit his drinking, and not amass gambling debts that he cannot cover.

The thief can have nothing to do with the authorities or serve in the military. He must keep his promises made to other thieves and abide by punishment determined by other thieves in law.

This does not preclude him from having a lover.

I was, I had to kill you.

episode 12, chapter 26, another life.

So, Friday morning, I woke up and the first thing in my brain was, oh my God, what if I will not be able to do that? What if he wouldn't like me? What if something will go wrong? I didn't know.

It was the day of Aliyah's biggest operation. On this Friday night, she would go to the city's hottest club, disguised as a high-class prostitute. Her mission, to seduce Vladimir, the head of a dangerous drug trafficking gang, and infiltrate his organization. Just one mistake could cost Aliyah her life. There was a lot of preparation to be done, and it started with remembering that Vladimir's childhood friend had told her team that the love of Vladimir's youth, who had left him for another man, had worn short skirts, white knee socks, and braided hair.

I dressed in this really short skirt and I bought a really beautiful but very sexy, very open top with crystals on it. It was sparkling white. And I braided my hair. I put some makeup and I put white socks to my knees and I put some high heels.

During their investigation, Aliyah's team had also learned about the personality of Vladimir's high school girlfriend. And what stood out was that she was very talkative and funny, almost silly.

So I decided that I will rehearse in front of the mirror and I just started to pronounce these words in this, like, giggling way. I had to make sure he would definitely be interested and intrigued by me from the first moment. And I was thinking, what would I tell him and how would I look to him? So I trained my eyes as well with this, like, look, with full desire and admiration. And I remembered some jokes.

Aliyah's team leader had already made the initial contact with the gang and established a relationship, pretending to be a small-time pimp and drug dealer.

So in our plan, he's supposed to introduce me as one of the next girl. So he was literally, like, you know, pimp. But I didn't want to sleep with him from the first night because I knew it wouldn't be appreciated.

That evening, Aliyah then met her colleagues to drive to the club and make the initial contact with Vladimir and his so-called brothers in the gang.

So we set to the car. We drove.

Her mission was not just to get evidence against Vladimir's gang, but to uncover the whole network that was bringing drugs in from Afghanistan, then diluting them with chemicals, packaging them and distributing them in Russia.

Our department wanted to find out who were these people who would fix and mix these drugs, because these people are responsible for all these deaths. Mixing all these doses with amphetamine and chemical drugs, it would kill other people.

Eventually, Aliyah arrived at the club. It was one she'd never been to before, the most popular and exclusive in the city.

So, we are there. I see the club, huge building, beautiful girls standing outside, smoking, beautiful dresses, just gorgeous. The music was so loud. And every time I hear this music, I'm remembering that night.

Her contact, who was undercover pretending to be her pimp, was waiting outside and went over the plan with her.

He gave me instructions. We should come to the bar, a counter, and order some drinks. And he will do the whole introduction. And all I need to do is just smile, be nice and just be playful. If Vladimir likes you, usually if he likes the girl, I introduced him, he invites her to the table.

Between her strict upbringing, military school, and Chechnya, Aliyah had never been to a place like this before. As she walked to the door, she was intoxicated by the glamour, almost forgetting the gravity of her mission.

I'd never been in the club. I'd never been dancing. I'd never hang out with other people like that. So I just wanted to have fun. And I was thinking that I'll do my job, but you know what?

Ilya worked her usual routine, making sure to embody the positive, funny qualities of Vladimir's former girlfriend, while adding in her seduction training, specifically flattery, complimenting Vladimir as he talked about being one of the owners of the club.

And that's the power of the manipulative compliments. And while he was telling me these things, we were walking and he brought me to the table. And we sat down and my pretending pimp, I could see him. So he was standing at the bar counter and, just like sipping a drink. I felt like it's okay.

After creating this initial rapport, Ilya moved on to the next part of the script she'd been practicing.

So I had homework to write these stories and then I rehearsed it in front of the mirror, so I could tell him and he laughed. And then he told to one of his guys, Oh, look, like, listen to her story. It's so funny. Like, she's a funny girl.

As she worked to win over the group, she noticed that one person in Vladimir's gang wasn't trusting this unfamiliar woman, who seemed to be entertaining the whole table.

And I started to tell this funny story and everybody laughed, apart from one guy.

Well, Bowen, the Olympics are underway. It's useless to talk about it as a thing. that's happening in the future, when it's happening in the present. It's happening now. And what's happening now is our podcast, Two Guys, Five Rings, is a phenomenon.

clues. They were thinking that I picked him up and took him.

somewhere. If you keep asking me this, I'm going to call the police and have you removed. Searching for Robert Fisher. One of the most dangerous fugitives in the world. Do you recognize my voice?

As she sat at the table, trying to win the acceptance of Vladimir's circle, Alia saw an opportunity that might save the mission if her seduction failed. To recruit one of the women there as a friend and unwitting informant. So she set her sights on the member of the entourage who seemed to be closest to the gang.

She was wearing very low waist jeans and her panties, I could see her panties like out of her jeans and it was all kind of like crystals. And I was so shocked. First of all, I've never seen anything like that. And then I was like, wow, this is like super fashion. And I started to speak with this girl about her like look and fashion style and said like, oh, you put everything so nicely and she loved it and we started to talk.

With this small victory secured, Lia tried to figure out how to turn her attention back to Vladimir.

And I felt that Vladimir looked at me a few times, very briefly, and I put my hand on his knees very softly and I felt that he liked it. And then I slowly moved my hand a little bit further. And then, you know, just on his inner thigh a little bit. And at the same moment he hugged me, I felt like, yes, okay, I'm getting closer. Good.

Whenever Lia noticed Vladimir speaking about something that excited him, she used the NLP techniques she'd learned in the Academy and try to anchor those good feelings to her. And when.

he had these positive memories, I touched his neck. I established that, that anchor. And I felt like, you know, like it has to work, because I did work on Kornel.

oldest seduction tricks in the book, leave them wanting more.

But in about an hour, I said to Vladimir, I'm really sorry, I have to go home. My university starts like at early morning and I have to do my classes. He was like, yeah, of course I do understand. And he said, let's go. I will drop you off.

This was the moment when Lia knew she'd accomplished her initial objective. An added success was that she would now have some time alone with Vladimir in the car. It was also an added danger. Vladimir signaled to two of his friends, who left with them and followed in a car behind.

We were driving to my house to drop me off and I was thinking if my colleagues, if they will be following us or not. I didn't know that time, but I knew they were checking on me. Well, that's what I wanted to, to think.

Chapter 27 Uncle Stopa.

This is the face of a true Russian mobster.

The logic goes like this, cops usually catch the grunts, the soldiers, the lower-level thugs and crooks who do the dirty work.

while the bosses who give the orders sit back and maintain the.

appearance of innocence. The bosses don't like to get their hands dirty. And so it is rare to prove serious crimes against them.

Lia had just left the club with her target. She was now alone in the car with Vladimir, the leader of one of the biggest drug trafficking and extortion gangs in the city. Behind her, there was another car following them, filled with other equally dangerous criminals in Vladimir's gang. She hoped that behind them were the much less dangerous, much less experienced members of her backup team.

While we were driving, he asked me some questions like, what's your blood, where are you coming from? Because I obviously don't look like a Russian girl. And I said, well, guess. And he was like, Tajikistan, I'm like, warm. Okay, Uzbekistan, I'm like, warmer.

They soon arrived in front of Aliyah's apartment.

I leaned to Vladimir and I kissed his cheek and I said, well, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. And he's like, okay, sunshine, sleep well. And I'll text you tomorrow. And I remember I was like walking into apartments, like all my hands were shaking.

I asked Aliyah whether she was worried that, since the gang knew where she lived, they could then follow her and find out she was really an intelligence agent.

We agreed before with my team, once I will infiltrate the gang, I will not go back to the office at all. Also, I had a separate number, which was, you know, the SIM card was registered, not on my name.

The next day, Aliyah texted Anna, the woman she had met at the club, in hopes of befriending her and recruiting her as an informant. They agreed to meet at a trendy cafe later that afternoon.

I went to see her. She was sitting in a beautiful dress, looking so cool, beautiful. So I started to ask her about herself first. She was hanging out with this gang for almost a year, which was really important to know her well and establish good connection. Eventually, Aliyah found a.

way to ask Anna about the very quiet gang member, the one who was staring mistrustfully at her in the club the night before. And then.

that guy who was looking at me with this like sharp eyes, absolutely cold and tough, that guy actually was one of Vladimir's very old friend. So that guy actually was responsible for bringing and supplying heroin and cocaine. And she said like, he's so creepy. He always like sitting there, like quiet, and he looks at everybody.

and everything. As Aliyah talks more about her meeting with Anna, she keeps referring to how stylish Anna was and how well the gang took care of her financially. So I asked her if, although her job was to seduce the gang, was she also being seduced by the glamour, celebrity and lifestyle of the gang? And you didn't have any female role models. in a sense, until you met Anna.

100%. because I asked her like, where do you buy all this crazy, amazing clothes? And she's like, oh, it's like this boutique. It's super exclusive. I'll bring you there.

Back at her home, Aliyah received a text from Vladimir inviting her to meet him at the club that evening.

I came to the club by the taxi. I texted Sasha. He said he's on the spot. I also texted Anna. I said that I'm coming.

Aliyah tried to focus on the task at hand, returning her attention to Vladimir, the gang's leader.

I wanted to seduce him. So we talked about his past and he told me a little bit about his family, which is great. And there was one question which every man loves and every man wants to talk about this. And this is the question which brings woman very close to the man. And the question is...

Aliyah pauses and asked me to guess the question. Very similar to the game she was playing with Vladimir. I'm unable to guess it.

When I was in the military academy, the colonel said the most psychological technique, which really makes the brain of the man becomes really attached to the woman. If the woman asked, what was your dream when you were a little boy? Then I asked this question to Vladimir and he said, I wanted to be like Uncle Stoppa. Uncle Stoppa, it's Marshak's poem for children. And it was about this Uncle Stoppa, who would be like a real hero in real life.

Well, Vovan, the Olympics are underway. It's useless to talk about it as a thing. that's happening in the future. when it's happening in the present. It's happening now.

years, they won't tell you anything.

I've traveled the nation. I'm going down in the cave, tracking down clues.

They were thinking that I picked him up and took him somewhere.

If you keep asking me this, I'm going to call the police and have you removed. Searching for Robert Fisher, one of the most dangerous fugitives in the world. Do you recognize my voice? Join an exploding house to hunt family annihilation today and a disappearing act. Listen to Missing in Arizona every Wednesday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows.

This second night with Vladimir was key to Aaliyah's seduction. If it didn't go well, she might never see him again. And it's becoming clear here that this was important to Aaliyah, not just because she wanted to succeed in her mission, but because she wanted to keep her access to this world. she was becoming so enamored by. The world of beauty, power, luxury, and fashion that her strict father forbid her from participating in as a teenager.

At the end of the day, I had to do my job. It had to be the best night in his life. The best. So the time has come and he kind of like nod with his head and his brothers, and these two guys stand up and we started to walk out from the club.

They drove to Vladimir's home, a building that Aaliyah had staked out many times over the past few months, but she'd never been inside.

And we came to his house, it was a big house, beautiful. We walked upstairs, but these two guys, they were in the house too. They were kind of like security, but also friends and colleagues. It was a little bit difficult because I was planning to like search house and see what's everywhere.

There was just one problem with this otherwise perfect moment. Aaliyah was not here to feel special. She was here to find evidence against the man. She was starting to fall in love with.

I stand up slowly so he wouldn't wake up. I didn't go downstairs because I didn't know exactly where these guys were sleeping, but upstairs I opened the door of another room and I saw huge black trash bags. So I walked and I slowly opened it and I saw that it was full of.

cash.

Lots of lots of money.

Aaliyah's story continues in episode 13.

on the sidewalk.

I would immediately have heat on me.

I'm John Walczak, host of the new podcast, Missing in Arizona. And I'm Robert Fisher, one of the most wanted men in the world. We cloned his voice using AI. In 2001,. police say I killed my family and rigged my house to explode before escaping into the wilderness.

96, Atlanta was booming with excitement around hosting the Centennial Olympic Games. And then, a deranged zealot willing to kill for a cause, lit a fuse that would change my life and so many others forever. Rippling out for generations.

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