From Sony Music Entertainment and Truth Media Comes a Shocking Tale of Cannabis, Greed, Survival and Murder in Northern California 

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New York, NY – November 7, 2022– Marc Smerling’s truth.media and Sony Music Entertainment, in partnership with Novel, today announced the premiere of The Emerald Triangle, the second season of hit podcast Crooked City. Hosted by journalist Sam R. Anderson, Crooked City: The Emerald Triangle examines the complex story behind a grisly murder in an area of Northern California known as The Emerald Triangle, home to the nation’s outlaw culture of marijuana growing. The first episode is available now and subscribers to The Binge can listen to all episodes today.  

After moving back to his family home in the sleepy suburb of Ringwood, New Jersey, Sam Anderson learns that one of his high school classmates has been arrested for murder in The Emerald Triangle. It’s a legendary place in the mountains of Northern California where most of the marijuana grown in the US comes from. People who have been there describe it as a hippie nirvana that promises freedom, money and an escape from the expectations of everyday life.

Following in his classmate’s footsteps, Sam travels West to the small town of Laytonville where the murder took place.  What begins as the journey of an earnest reporter trying to get to the truth quickly devolves into a drug-fueled gonzo adventure that nearly goes off the rails. Then, Sam discovers a treasure trove of police tapes that reveal what really happened to his high school classmate. Desperation, greed and a seemingly never-ending acid trip created a perfect storm of paranoia that the locals refer to as “hill crazy,” culminating in a moment of unspeakable violence. He learns that the promise of freedom comes at a very high price. 

Crooked City: The Emerald Triangle showcases an incredible cache of original law enforcement audio tapes surrounding the murder investigation, allowing listeners to step foot inside the interrogation room and ride along with detectives as they solve the mystery.

Sam Anderson said, “When I first started reporting this story, I thought it was going to be about proving the innocence of a high school classmate. But the truth about what happened on this pot farm is stranger than anything I could have imagined. While marijuana is increasingly accepted in our society, the stories of the people who grow it illegally and the laborers they rely on have been largely untold. As we approach a new era of legalization, I hope this investigation sheds light on the human cost of growing and harvesting marijuana under prohibition.”

Crooked City: The Emerald Triangle is produced by Jo Wheeler, Alexa Burke, Leigh Meyer, and Zach Saint Louis. Story editing is by Marc Smerling and Austin Mitchell.

Subscribers to “The Binge” can listen to all ten episodes of Crooked City: The Emerald Triangle all at once today. Subscribing to “The Binge” channel will also grant listeners access to Crooked City: Youngstown, OH and new podcasts All Relative: Defining Diego, Witnessed: Mystic Mother, Chameleon: Scam Likely and more. 

Listeners can subscribe to Crooked City: The Emerald Triangle on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher. For more information on The Emerald Triangle and all other Sony Podcast shows, follow @SonyPodcasts on Twitter and Instagram.