S12.E3 ∙ Ghost Train: Part 1

An examination of the history of the poppy plant and three of its deadliest derivatives. In ancient times, the poppy was considered divine, but in the 19th and 20th centuries, its addicting and lethal qualities caused unprecedented national outrage, social upheaval, and even sparked two wars. Used by the upper classes as patent medicines, heroin became the bane of society when the working class began to use it. In 1914, Federal law banned heroin and opium, and restricted morphine to medicinal use.

The ivory trade is a cruel business. Every 15 minutes an elephant is killed for its ivory. 65 percent of the continents elephants have been killed for their ivory in the last five years. Crime syndicates involved in gun, drug and human trafficking reap huge profits from the ivory trade. So do dangerous terrorist groups including Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army and al-Qaeda affiliate al-Shabaab. These terrorists threaten the safety and stability of Africa and the national security of the United States.

A mysterious story set in the madness of the Battle of Berlin at the end of World War II. When the Red Army shot down a civilian Lufthansa aircraft near the Brandenburg villages of Glienig and Buckow on April 20, 1945, the incident did not only destroy the lives of the passengers and their families, but also leaves deep scars at the scene of the accident and numerous questions. Who was on board of the plane and who was allowed to leave Berlin at that point in time, which was being bombed by the Allies - just on a symbolic day like Adolf Hitler's birthday? Why is there still no passenger list? Why was the crew changed again shortly before departure from Berlin? The documentary gets to the bottom of these questions in the form of a gripping true crime docu-thriller and reconstructs the background of this mysterious incident from the last days of the Second World War for the first time.

June 27th, 1945. The norwegian resistance fighter Kai Holst travels to Stockholm. According to witnesses, he's going to "sort something out", and someone will be pale by the results. A day later he is found dead on a stairwell, shot in the head with his own gun. Despite mysterious circumstances, the police quickly concludes with suicide, and the case is dismissed. Case files are classified, and friends and family who ask questions are threatened.In this film, the investigation is resumed 68 years later. Through secret documents and old witness reports, Holst's last 24 hours alive are reconstructed, to find out what really happened.