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Michael Dowd, a former NYPD police officer, appeared as a guest on Steven Bartlett's The Diary Of A CEO podcast on April 2, 2025.
Dowd, reportedly considered one of the dirtiest cops in New York City history, was arrested and convicted of narcotics conspiracy in 1992. On the episode, Michael revisits his days as a corrupt officer, citing that he chose not to make high numbers of arrests.
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(Michael Dowd Arrest Timestamp: 15:00)
Around the 16-minute mark of their interview, Steven revisits the 1980s crack epidemic in NYC, questioning Dowd if it was the police department that seemingly mandated fewer arrests.
The former New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer, who became corrupt to work for the Dominican-American Diaz criminal organisation in the 1980s, explained why he only made a total of 43 arrests in his 10 years of service, claiming:
"43 arrests... In a total of 10 years. Not all of that was patrolled, I mean I could make 43 arrests in a month if I really wanted to"
Steven continued by asking what the arrest count would've been had Dowd not been corrupt, basing his question on Michael's 10 year service and the number of crimes he had witnessed.
The convicted NYPD officer responded by stating he could've made "500 arrests" during his career as a law enforcer.
"You couldn't keep the police on patrol. If they were making arrests, the system would get so jammed up the average amount of overtime for one crack arrest was 18 hours," Dowd explained.
Dowd continued by explaining that the department was spending more money and time in processing these arrests, citing that the increased amount of overtime payments was not within the city's allocated budget.
When Steven questioned why Dowd claims the city wished for lower arrest numbers, the convicted officer stated:
"They got a budget to manage."
Why was Michael Dowd arrested? Former NYPD officer's history and connection to drug cartel explored
Michael Dowd joined the New York Police Department in 1982, seemingly at the height of the crack cocaine epidemic, being assigned to the 75th Precinct in East New York.
Dowd reportedly began by stealing money from crime scenes before turning to dealing drugs himself. Four years later, in 1986, Michael would start working for Adam Diaz, a cocaine trafficker who earned $1 million every week.
According to their deal, Diaz would supposedly pay Dowd large sums of money for information on incoming raids and to assist in moving his product around the city.
Much of Dowd's history with the criminal underworld was deeply discussed in the Netflix documentary The Seven Five, which claims his story involved armed robberies, drug trafficking, and even abductions.
"Life was wonderful. Wonderful, sinful, and glorious. I felt like Scarface, only I was a white Irish boy from Long Island," Dowd recalled in his documentary.
The documentary suggests that Dowd would flaunt his illegal income by driving to work in a "red Corvette," gambling in Atlantic City, and buying multiple properties in New York and Florida. He explained:
"I would sell 28 kilos to the biggest dealers in the area and then sell seven kilos myself. I was making $68,000 a week until I was caught"
Around the same time, Dowd would partner with an officer named Ken Eurell, both of whom would take on the protection and operations responsibility for Diaz's criminal syndicate.
Michael Dowd was first arrested on drug conspiracy charges on May 6, 1992. He was on shift and reportedly "high on coke and drunk on vodka". Before he was arrested, Suffolk County Investigators had intercepted phone conversations between the him and a local drug dealer.
The FBI had also been investigating Adam Diaz's operations and had recorded a phone conversation between Dowd and Eurell talking about drug deals. With both individuals facing federal and state charges, when released on bail, the former NYPD partners met to discuss future plans.
Unaware to Michael, Eurell had reportedly worn a wire in exchange for a lesser sentence. During their conversation, Dowd was recorded plotting a human abduction crime, hoping to recieve enough payment to seemingly "flee to Nicaragua". Ken Eurell's testimony resulted in him not spending a single day in prison.
In July 1992, Michael Dowd was arrested and indicted with 63 colleagues for murder, conspiracy, and drug-related offenses. In September 2023, he would testify before the commission, admitting that he had considered himself both a police officer and drug trafficker.
A year later, in 1994, Michael Dowd was convicted of racketeering and conspiracy to distribute narcotics and was sentenced to 16 years in prison. He was released early after serving a total of 12 years and six months, and has since been advocating against corruption.
More recently, Michael Dowd and Adam Diaz teamed up to incorporate a feldgling business selling cigars imported from the Dominican Republic via a company called Tabacalera Palma.
