played a vital role in cementing legendary drug figures like Colombia’s Pablo Escobar and Mexico’s El Chapo as pop culture icons.
For executive producer Dean Johnson and one of the documentary’s directors Steve Chao, the Golden Triangle is the biggest untold secret. Media reports estimate that the synthetic drug’s total trade in the Mekong sub-region is valued at over US$40 billion per year, a figure that continues to rise during Covid-19 as lockdowns have worsened addiction problems.
“You don’t go pointing fingers at alleged drug traffickers, there are a lot of investigative journalists in different countries that have suffered when they tackle organised crime.”Part of the series was also shot in Malaysia and the country makes an appearance in the third episode which highlights the drug kingpin Keopimpha’s key networks.
“Forget Latin America, the profits that are made in the Golden Triangle are the highest profit margins anywhere in the world in drugs.