Sam Mullins

Hi, I'm Sam Mullins. I'm a writer and podcaster, and you might know me from shows I've made like Wild Boys or Dr. Dante. And I want to tell you about my brand new podcast series. It's called Sea of Lies from CBC's Uncover. When the body of a man is found at the bottom of the ocean, the only clue to discover his identity is through the Rolex watch ticking on his wrist.

Hi, I'm Sam Mullins. I'm a writer and podcaster, and you might know me from shows I've made like Wild Boys or Dr. Dante. And I want to tell you about my brand new podcast series. It's called Sea of Lies from CBC's Uncover. When the body of a man is found at the bottom of the ocean, the only clue to discover his identity is through the Rolex watch ticking on his wrist.

What starts out as a mystery of identity grows exponentially into a race against time to capture one of the world's most wanted criminals. It's the story of a man who couldn't stop lying. A story of murder, betrayal, stolen identities, diaper bags stuffed with gold bars, and the incredible police investigation that brought it all to light, led by a miraculous string of luck.

What starts out as a mystery of identity grows exponentially into a race against time to capture one of the world's most wanted criminals. It's the story of a man who couldn't stop lying. A story of murder, betrayal, stolen identities, diaper bags stuffed with gold bars, and the incredible police investigation that brought it all to light, led by a miraculous string of luck.

From small town Canada to coastal England, this is a story that spans continents and decades and centers on the ruthless villain who almost got away with it. So who is he? And how was he finally caught? Right now, here's the first episode of Sea of Lies. This story begins with a miracle. I don't know what else to call it. And when I say miracle, I don't mean it in the religious sense.

From small town Canada to coastal England, this is a story that spans continents and decades and centers on the ruthless villain who almost got away with it. So who is he? And how was he finally caught? Right now, here's the first episode of Sea of Lies. This story begins with a miracle. I don't know what else to call it. And when I say miracle, I don't mean it in the religious sense.

At least I don't think I do. I mean it in the sense of luck. Luck is a spectrum. There are lucky breaks, flukes, good fortune. But then there's a tier of luck that is so far beyond the parameters of chance that it feels divine.

At least I don't think I do. I mean it in the sense of luck. Luck is a spectrum. There are lucky breaks, flukes, good fortune. But then there's a tier of luck that is so far beyond the parameters of chance that it feels divine.

And while the story that I'm about to tell you features the whole spectrum of luck, coincidences, right places, wrong times, million to one shots connecting, there's no story at all, no truth, no justice, without the thing that happens first. The thing so far beyond the brackets of likelihood, it was a miracle. Because a father and son who weren't even looking accidentally found something.

And while the story that I'm about to tell you features the whole spectrum of luck, coincidences, right places, wrong times, million to one shots connecting, there's no story at all, no truth, no justice, without the thing that happens first. The thing so far beyond the brackets of likelihood, it was a miracle. Because a father and son who weren't even looking accidentally found something.

Someone who was never supposed to be found. We begin July 28th, 1996, in the holiday town of Brixham in Devon, England, where a college kid, happy to be home for the summer, was looking forward to two straight months of sleeping in.

Someone who was never supposed to be found. We begin July 28th, 1996, in the holiday town of Brixham in Devon, England, where a college kid, happy to be home for the summer, was looking forward to two straight months of sleeping in.

Craig Coppock was the son of a fisherman, a line of work that Craig knew to be fundamentally incompatible with the sleepy goals of a university kid. So whatever dreams he had for that summer were quickly dashed by a pronouncement from his dad.

Craig Coppock was the son of a fisherman, a line of work that Craig knew to be fundamentally incompatible with the sleepy goals of a university kid. So whatever dreams he had for that summer were quickly dashed by a pronouncement from his dad.

Craig had been helping his father on the trawler since he was 11, so he knew all too well what assisting dad on the boat would look like.

Craig had been helping his father on the trawler since he was 11, so he knew all too well what assisting dad on the boat would look like.

Craig and his dad headed out on their 10-meter rig, the Malkery, to trawl for cod a few miles offshore. And after the first few hours, it was shaping up to be an underwhelming day of fishing.

Craig and his dad headed out on their 10-meter rig, the Malkery, to trawl for cod a few miles offshore. And after the first few hours, it was shaping up to be an underwhelming day of fishing.

But John Coppock was as experienced a fisherman as you could find in all of England. His body seemed like it was designed by God to wrestle slippery things on unstable decks. He was solid in stature and sharp of mind from countless years of reading between trawls. And he had a hunch on where they'd find their big catch for the day. A notorious area known to the local fishermen as the roughs.

But John Coppock was as experienced a fisherman as you could find in all of England. His body seemed like it was designed by God to wrestle slippery things on unstable decks. He was solid in stature and sharp of mind from countless years of reading between trawls. And he had a hunch on where they'd find their big catch for the day. A notorious area known to the local fishermen as the roughs.