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The

Cold

Brief

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TRUE crime & warfare

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The Cold Brief

Behind every crime, there’s a war. Behind every war, there’s a crime.

The Cold Brief exists to uncover the hidden nexus between true crime and warfare. Through debrief-style storytelling, immersive research, and strategic analysis, each episode explores the global forces criminal, political, and covert that operate in the shadows.

Our mission is to inform, expose, and engage audiences with stories that blur the lines between criminal enterprise, conflict, and power.

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case debriefer

Mr. Shareef is a Criminologist and Army Combat Veteran with over 17 years combined experience in Counterintelligence, Law Enforcement, and National Security along with advanced education in International Crime.

He is the Voice of The Cold Brief, a true crime and warfare podcast uncovering the nexus of organized crime, covert operations, insider threats, and global conflict.

Mr. Shareef specializes in research on topics such as cybercrime, transnational crime, military corruption, espionage, political violence, and intelligence-led investigations.

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case files

file 001 - klaus barbie

A cover image for a documentary or series titled "The Cold Brief" with episode 001. The image shows a man in Nazi military uniform with a blacked-out eye area, a declassified stamp, and a map of Lyon with the Seine River. The subtitle reads "The Butcher of Lyon: Nazi War Criminal Turned U.S. Asset." The Cold Side Collective logo is at the bottom right corner.

In this revealing file, The Cold Brief investigates the dual life of Klaus Barbie Gestapo chief in Lyon during World War II and later an asset of U.S. Army Counter-Intelligence. We examine his role in the arrests, torture, and deportations of thousands, including the notorious Rue Sainte-Catherine roundup and the raid on the Izieu children’s home.

Drawing from various documents, we uncover how Barbie was recruited by American intelligence in 1947, used to penetrate French intelligence networks, and ultimately shielded from extradition. In 1951, the United States facilitated his escape through a clandestine “rat line” to Bolivia, delaying justice for decades.

Cover art for the show 'Insiders Limited Edition' featuring three characters with serious expressions and red targeting lines on their eyes.

Every issue of The INSIDERS isn't just a story it's a cipher. Tucked between each gritty frame and coded dialogue are carefully planted easter eggs that hint at the next explosive episode of The Cold Brief podcast. The books and comics serve as the visual dossier to the audio deep dives, offering fans a chance to decode the conspiracies before they hit the airwaves.

But that’s only the beginning.

A darker truth lies beneath the panels. The world of The INSIDERS is expanding with full-length novels on the horizon, revealing character origins, covert operations, and the morally complex web behind the shadow network known as ADVANTAGE.

This is your invitation to go deeper. Follow the threads. Break the code.
The truth is buried in plain sight.

THE INSIDERS NOVEL SERIES COMING SOON

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THE INSIDERS NOVEL SERIES COMING SOON ✦

files that transcend past, present, and future

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