01x01 - The Opium King

[bunniefuu]

He was called the Opium King

the Prince of Death.

Among all the drug lords

in the Golden Triangle

he was number one.

What happens in these mountains

has deadly tentacles
that spread out

to the rest of the world.

He rained poison

on the streets of New York.

If you crossed Khun Sa

there would be no question

you would be k*lled.

He was making

hundreds of millions of dollars

per year.

Pablo Escobar and El Chapo

may have had notoriety

but Khun Sa pulled in more cash

than they could
ever have dreamed.

Money that made Khun Sa

the world's biggest
drug trafficker.

Heroine, one of the most

dangerously addictive

of the so-called hard drugs

is a growing menace in America.

Asian heroin entered
the US market

in the mid-to-late 60s.

This is the suitcase

one of the two suitcases

used to smuggle the heroin

into the United States.

They sometimes referred to it

as "China White".

The smuggling piece
of equipment here

in that these shells are made

for the outer side
of the suitcase

rather than for the inside.

They were bringing in

very large quantities
of pure heroin

that were supplying the Italians

the Latin American groups

the African American groups.

They even had their own labels.

Pure. Pure number four.

This label called Double UOGlobe

top quality.

It was usually 95% pure.

This enabled users to snort it.

It took away the
fear of the needle.

It expanded the market.

Businessmen were
snorting heroin now

as opposed to cocaine.

It was like rocket fuel.

People were OD-ing

at a ridiculously high rate.

I started the Asian heroin squad

in New York.

We had approximately 20 agents.

The DEA is targeting traffickers

that represent a direct threat

to the United States.

Let's see those hands!

Most of our informants
would tell us

the heroin coming in to New York

was coming from

the Golden Triangle.

There was only one
person that can

could ship that much heroin.

An enemy's weapon

can be turned on themselves.

And that was Khun Sa.

Oh, hit the target!

Among all the drug lords

in the Golden Triangle

he was number one.

He was called the Opium King

the Prince of Death.

Khun Sa is the most well-known.

And the most notorious.

The individual
primarily responsible

for this worldwide devastation

of drug addiction is Khun Sa.

He has delivered

as much evil to this world

as any mafia Don has ever done

in our history.

Khun Sa was considered

public enemy number one.

He's a crook, he's a liar

and he's a k*ller.

The DEA had a two
million price tag

on his head, dead or alive.

You would dream about

actually being able
to arrest Khun Sa

but it would never
really believe

that it would happen.

You were in New York.

He was in Burma.

The Golden Triangle

is an area of Southeast Asia

where three countries, Burma

Thailand and Laos,
come together.

It's basically a narco-state.

And the gold part
of it is heroin.

You have a number
of ethnic groups

that occupy the area.

All of which

are engaged at some level

in narcotics trafficking.

One of the more infamous groups

was Khun Sa's militia group.

At his most powerful

he had a 25,000-manpower army.

Do you hear, over?

There were
anti-aircraft batteries.

Trenches laid

with bamboo spikes coming out.

All his men were armed

with the very
latest M-16 r*fles.

I think he felt quite

safe and insulated up there

in his mountain headquarters.

His base was
surrounded by mountains

not easy to call in air strikes.

It was also very difficult

to send in ground forces.

My bosses would come to me

all the time and say.

"When are you gonna
get this guy?"

He was well aware

that the DEA in particular

wanted him dead.

Khun Sa would never sleep

in the same bed twice.

He was constantly on the alert

for assassination attempts.

He had put a lot of money

into making sure

that the Americans
weren't going to

be able to get him easily.

Khun Sa had never
been interviewed

and so I went to Bangkok

and spent about a week

trying to find a
way into his base

on the Burma side

of the Golden Triangle.

I'm going to a lot of bars

drinking with a lot of

ex-American service men.

A lot of people engaged

in the drug smuggling trade

and finally come across.

Khun Sa's representative.

A little Chinese
guy called Johnnie.

He arranged for us to travel

into the Shan State
with protection.

I was heading into.

Khun Sa's hideout.

A place even the DEA

had never been
able to penetrate.

We're passing mule trains

that're coming the
opposite direction

going back into Thailand

loaded with heroin.

How many more hours to go?

Seven more hours to go?

As the journey went
through the night

we made our way by torchlight.

There were fires burning

spooking the mules.

It was like a journey

into the gates of hell.

Finally, we reached his fortress

but he's never done

an interview before

so is he going to
show up or not?

Next morning

I'm sitting outside the hut

having breakfast.

Suddenly, Khun Sa

appears out of nowhere.

I couldn't believe

the most wanted man in the world

a two-million-dollar bounty

on his head and there he was.

You've been called an evil man

a vicious criminal.

What do you say to that?

I am a revolutionary leader.

The DEA and the Burmese

and the drug enforcement

organizations, all
have to get money

from countries like Australia.

They get a big budget

and use it in Southeast Asia

for political purposes.

To get that money

they have to say that.

Khun Sa is this and this.

Are you concerned about

the effects of heroin?

I realize that it
has bad effects

on human health

and that it makes people

become slow and dull.

I realize very well

the effects of heroin.

Do you feel any responsibility

for that?

I feel very sad about that.

I realize the danger of drugs.

That is why from my heart

I want to stop the opium.

He exuded

strength, and power and warmth.

Khun Sa made a
pretty amazing offer.

He told me that he would sell

all his heroin

directly to the
American government

for 50 million dollars a year

over eight years.

We can use the
money to help people

grow substitution crops.

Or you can let us buy

all the opium crop for you

so we can stop it completely.

I proposed to the Americans

that I wanted to help

opium eradication

but they never got back to me.

I've met presidents

prime ministers, movie stars

none of them had the charisma

that Khun Sa had.

But he was also
incredibly ruthless.

His parents died

when he was fairly young

so he was left

somewhat to his own devices.

He was illiterate

he could not read or write.

His ambitions were

to become very powerful

to make a lot of money.

So around the age of 16

he started to escort opium

packed on the mules

coming out of the mountains.

It was fairly evident

that he was going
to be a leader.

Anyone who crossed him

the punishment was
death by clubbing.

To operate in that
part of the world

whoever is the most ruthless

they're the ones
who rise to the top.

Khun Sa quickly recognized

the quality of the drugs

being produced in the triangle

and knew that

this was his ticket to power.

When you compare the opium

that comes from Mexico

or South America or Afghanistan

the opium in the
Golden Triangle area

is the best quality.

It is because of
the high elevation.

Its climate and its soil.

Opium has been grown

by us Shan people

since the days of
our early ancestors.

Originally it was not sold

but used to cure sickness

like stomach aches
and headaches.

But when the w*r
with Burma began

many groups started using opium

to make money, for their armies.

Khun Sa was no exception.

He saw this as an opportunity

to really gain wealth and power.

As he began to provide security

for the opium shipments

he was able to
recruit more soldiers

and he was able to

really rival the other groups

in terms of power and money.

During the time of his rise.

Khun Sa's people, the Shan

got into a protracted
w*r with Burma.

The Shan are an ethnic people.

The Burmese had promised

that we would have
our own autonomy

the right of autonomy

but we have never been granted

independence.

We have been
second-class citizens.

So we had no choice

but to take up arms

and struggle for our rights.

Khun Sa told me that

the Burmese government

was oppressing his people

and the only way for him

as a revolutionary leader

to fight that was
to sell heroin.

He was selling
heroin to the West

to finance his revolution.

He thought that.

"If we are going to
win independence"

"let's do it through drugs."

Khun Sa became

the most powerful warlord

in the Golden Triangle.

At his height,
Khun Sa controlled

approximately 70%

of the heroin trafficking

emanating out of Burma.

He was making

hundreds of millions of dollars

per year.

Pablo Escobar and El Chapo

may have had notoriety

but the drug warlords

of the Golden Triangle

pulled in more cash

than they could
ever have dreamed.

We're talking about money

that made Khun Sa

the world's biggest
drug trafficker.

In the history of the Shan

he was one of our great leaders.

He managed to
convince these people

many of whom were very poor

that he was in there

fighting for them.

A lot of that was false.

I think he was
really interested in

his own, you know,
wealth and power.

He's not like Robin Hood.

He claimed that
people adored him

because let's say
he earned 100 baht

he gave them five
baht. Of course

those people are very happy

but the 95 baht goes
into his pocket.

He led a lavish lifestyle.

He had a tennis
court, a swimming pool

and two to three
of his own houses.

He also had many mistresses.

You could say it was his hobby

or it's in his character.

Did he live well?

Let's just say

he owned many night clubs.

He was into dancing

and having a good time.

On one side, there was Khun Sa

the jungle guerrilla fighter

and on the other,
there was a man

who loved the finer
things in life.

Who was the real Khun Sa?

America's public
enemy number one

in the United States

is drug abuse.

In order to fight

and defeat this enemy

it is necessary to wage

a new, all-out offensive.

Around 1971, President Nixon

declared a w*r on drugs.

This happens time after time

seeing even teenagers
almost dying

fighting death.

Many people standing around

in the crowd, you know

watching this person

if they see this
kind of thing and

there's not too much sympathy
for them.

This is a different
kind of death.

Drugs were really rampant

in the streets.

Heroin was very prevalent.

Drug dealers and users

have reason to be concerned.

The convicted seller of

a pound of heroin,
15 years to life

with no possibility of parole.

Seeing the damage

drugs was having
on American lives

the President gave the DEA

new robust powers

to go after Khun Sa.

Deal the cards, man.

I came here with luck.

What did you have

to make you this lucky today?

Did you bring any
talisman with you?

- No luck!
- Come on, deal the cards.

Not that I'm bragging

but I got nine!

We had an informant

who was giving us

a lot of information.

He was providing us
with intelligence

on Khun Sa's organization

and on the heroin brokers.

Get home safe.

See you tomorrow.

Good luck, man.

Wow, you won a lot.

You're rich today.

Just today, I let you win.

Come early tomorrow.

Two guys came by on a motorcycle

with an AK-47

and just sprayed b*ll*ts

and k*lled him.

If they suspect somebody

of being an informant

then they would have no qualms

about k*lling that person.

I liked Khun Sa

but I didn't, for
a moment, believe

that he was anything
but a k*ller.

By the 1980s, Khun Sa was

at the height of his power

and he was effectively
untouchable.

There is, at the present time

a stockpile of over one ton

of 94% to 97% pure heroin.

The agents, investigators

prosecutors at the time

were focused on one thing

and that was stopping

the flow of Southeast
Asian heroin

into the United States.

They sent DEA agents

to be stationed in Thailand.

My boss called me into the room

and wanted me to set up

a small group.

And the idea was that

we would target Khun Sa.

DEA at that time

working with the
Thai authorities

seized quite a bit
of heroin that was

destined for the United States.

First case we did

two and a half tons of opium.

This was a major
blow for Khun Sa.

This was huge win for Group 41.

We had word through
special sources

and special intelligence

that Khun Sa stated that

any DEA agent found

he will kidnap.

Mike Powers was a DEA agent

assigned to work

in the Chiang Mai area.

He liked to dress in fatigues

and go out with the police

and put his face
out in the public.

That's very dangerous.

You just walking
around like that and

tell them, "I'm a DEA agent."

You should be a secret, you know

not trying to show your face

on the media at all.

That day, Mrs Powers

came out of the house around 10

or 11 o'clock to
do some shopping.

- How much?
- 50 baht.

50 baht?

Can you make it 30?

Okay, I'll take them.

It's okay, you can keep that.

Thank you.

- Hello.
- Hello!

Let's go home?

Calm down!

- Stay away from me!
- Calm down!

Brother!

Calm down.

What do you want?
You can tell me.

I told you, back off!

I don't want anything. Back off!

- Back off!
- Calm down.

Somebody was trying
to send a message

to Mike, to the DEA

to the Americans.

If you crossed Khun Sa

there would be no question

you would be k*lled.

Acting on a tip-off

customs agents in Bangkok

searched a New York
bound freighter

loaded with bales of rubber.

In 1988, the Thai authorities

working with the DEA seized

three and a half thousand pounds

of pure Southeast Asian heroin.

When they opened up

some of the bales, they found

packets of almost pure heroin.

This was said to be

directly attributable

to Khun Sa and his organization.

It was the largest heroin find

ever made.

The value of the haul
in American street

prices over one billion dollars.

We were well aware that

this organization was sending

shipments like that

into the continental
United States.

Law enforcement
officials from the FBI

the Drug Enforcement
Administration

proudly displayed g*ns

and sacks of heroin.

Eventually we were
confident that

we had enough to connect Khun Sa

with the heroin

coming into New York City.

That enabled us
to indict Khun Sa

for trafficking.

The charges were

conspiracy to
traffic in narcotics

distribution of narcotics

and continuing
criminal enterprise.

The key to bringing Khun Sa down

was the indictment.

It gave

especially the Thai government

the legal rationale for

shutting down the border

and going after him.

Around 1994, the
DEA Bangkok office

conceived of a
strategy to go after

the highest-level
drug traffickers.

We got it, Lieutenant.

This is Khun Sa

the most-wanted man
we're looking for.

The name of this operation

and this new strategy

was Operation Tiger Trap.

This is Khun Sa and
all of his files.

This is one of
Khun Sa's henchmen.

He has a lot of manpower.

And this is Bang Ron

the guy we caught

and he had informed on Khun Sa.

You had the king, Khun Sa.

Was he going to be touchable?

We didn't know.

But he depended
on his underlings.

He had people that were

taking care of his money.

He had people that
were taking care

of his drug distribution.

He had people taking
care of his army.

If we need to travel

we need to travel by car.

Okay.

Our thought was that

if we could eliminate
these people

we would stop Khun Sa.

Freeze! This is the police!

Get down!

Why are you arresting me?

Let me go!

Stay still!

Within 15 hours

we got everybody arrested.

These individuals
all associated with

the drug trafficking
organization

controlled by Khun Sa

have been taken into custody

by Thai authorities.

We hope they can be extradited

to stand trial in
the United States.

Arresting these individuals

was an extremely significant act

because you're cutting off

all the heads and essentially

putting the monster, you know

out of commission.

We attacked his infrastructure

we dismantled his empire.

The impact was
felt in two places.

It was felt here in New York

and it was felt

in the hills of the
Golden Triangle.

They couldn't run anymore.

Initially, I think
he was probably

maybe not so concerned.

But as the time went by

and as he realized that

they were going to be extradited

to the United States

and were actually extradited

to the United States

it had to hit him pretty hard.

Khun Sa's ultimate weakness

he may have felt
he was untouchable

and learned otherwise.

While his drug empire

was slowly being
shut down by the DEA

politics between
the Burmese military

and Khun Sa's revolutionary army

reached a tipping point.

Around this time,
the Myanmar army

began taking on Khun Sa.

Basically, Khun Sa

was being squeezed.

He was being squeezed

from the Thai side

and he was also being squeezed

from the Myanmar side.

Head towards 521, do you copy?

He had attacked
our military camps

in a major offensive.

Yeah. 521, and then head about

one mile farther
north is enough.

It's not early.

Pass by 514 to come to me.

That way is better for you.

More than 800 of his men

lost their lives in the w*r.

His troops felt demoralized.

His top lieutenants were gone.

I think he began to

see the writing on the wall.

One of his men

contacted our intelligence unit.

Forming a team lead by me

we went to Khun
Sa's headquarters.

We had to cross Thanlwin River.

It was a perilous journey.

Khun Sa came and met me.

Once I saw his face.

I knew he was serious

and was not up to any tricks.

On the 7th of January 1996

he surrendered.

It was a major
event at the time.

Myanmar commanders and ministers

were all there.

His army surrendered

all their weapons.

The critical thing
he turned over

was his arms factory.

The size of a small workshop.

It was operated by

200 soldiers and technicians.

They produced
mines, hand grenades

and rocket launchers.

They brought me to the factory.

Khun Sa's men paid
respects to him.

He gave away lots of money.

About 150 to 200,000 US dollars

in just one morning.

We had to make a few trips

from the safe he kept.

After which, we just
wanted the crowd

to quickly disperse.

Khun Sa gave this speech

and saying this was all done

in the name of making peace.

I will officially announce

that I don't want
to do it anymore.

I will transfer my power

to God and my people.

The people can choose

their own leader.

When Khun Sa surrendered

to the Burmese government

I was the one who called the DEA

and told them. They
said, "Really?"

And I said, "You
go check the news."

To hear that Khun Sa

had been brought down

was very gratifying
for me, personally.

And of course, for the DEA.

It was an unbelievable
culmination

of a great story.

The DEA had demanded

from the Burmese government

for him to be extradited.

But the Prince of
Death had no plans

to spend any time

behind bars in America.

Like the criminal
mastermind he was

he'd secretly made a deal

with the Burmese

before his surrender.

One of the terms
of his surrender

was that he would
not be turned over

to the Americans.

He was our citizen.

He surrendered in peace.

It was a bold
decision to surrender.

Why hand him over to America?

That was why he had surrendered

to the Burmese army

instead of allowing himself

to be captured by the DEA.

No matter how much
evidence we had

of Khun Sa's drug trafficking

they were not about to

hand him over to us.

The man responsible

for thousands of overdose deaths

in America, and elsewhere

cleverly escaped US justice.

He was put under house arrest

in Rangoon and then

was allowed to do

legitimate business.

He owned a golf course.

His punishment wasn't

really very severe

his punishment was...

"Okay, time for you to retire."

"Time for you to get out"

"of the business."

We'd liked to have seen him

go to jail.

It never really mattered to me

that we couldn't
put our hands on him

and bring him to
the United States.

When you look at that chessboard

he was the king.

He was the king that we

eventually knocked over.

We ended.

Southeast Asian heroin

here in New York.

Every year

villagers and former soldiers

come together to honor Khun Sa.

We, the villagers
of Baan Hin Taek of

different ethnicities
come together.

We gather here to
give offerings.

This is to remind
the new generation

of all the good Khun Sa did

for the Shan and our village.

Those who are pro
Khun Sa would say

he was just a freedom fighter.

Those who oppose him

would say he was
just a drug lord.

But I would say he was both.

With drug warlords

in the Golden Triangle

take one out

pretty soon,
another one emerges.

They want their own fiefdoms.

It's about power

it's about control,
it's about money.

Their business must go on.

Just like the show must go on.

The evil will never die.