El Podcast

E133: How the CIA Helped Burma Become the World's Richest Drug Empire - w/ Patrick Winn

Episode Summary

Southeast Asia-based investigative journalist Patrick Winn delves into his book Narcotopia, uncovering the rise of Myanmar’s Wa State as a powerful narco-state dominating the methamphetamine trade. He explores the CIA’s complicated relationship with drug cartels during the Cold War and the shift from heroin to synthetic drugs in the region. Wynn highlights the importance of curiosity in understanding marginalized groups and their influence on global economies.

Episode Notes

Patrick Winn discusses his book Narcotopia, exploring the rise of the most powerful drug cartel in Asia, its ties to the CIA, and its transition from heroin to methamphetamine production in Myanmar's Wa State.

Guest Bio:
Patrick Winn is an investigative journalist based in Bangkok, Thailand, specializing in black markets and underworld economies across Asia. His latest book, NarcoTopia, delves into the powerful narco-state in Myanmar, its history with drug trafficking, and the complex relationship with the CIA.

Topics Discussed:

• The Golden Triangle and its role in the global drug trade
• The rise of Myanmar’s Wa State as a narco-state
• The clash between the CIA and DEA over drug trade control
• Transition from heroin to methamphetamine production in Myanmar
• The influence of China on the Wa State
• The complex relationship between the U.S. and global drug cartels
• The ethics of investigating criminal organizations

Top 3 Quotes:

• “The world’s most powerful drug trafficking organization is not in Mexico, it’s not in Colombia, it’s in Myanmar.”
• “China supplies weapons to the WAA, political guidance, medicine, mobile phone towers. You’d think they were a client state of China.”
• “Be curious about people that you’ve been told are scumbags. Reach out to them, try to meet them, and you might actually learn something.”

📺Watch Full Pod on YouTube➡️https://youtu.be/pSSQFk7iefI