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He was called the Opium King
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the Prince of Death.
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Among all the drug lords
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in the Golden Triangle
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he was number one.
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What happens in these mountains
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has deadly tentacles that spread out
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to the rest of the world.
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He rained poison
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on the streets of New York.
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If you crossed Khun Sa
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there would be no question
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you would be killed.
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He was making
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hundreds of millions of dollars
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per year.
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Pablo Escobar and El Chapo
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may have had notoriety
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but Khun Sa pulled in more cash
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than they could ever have dreamed.
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Money that made Khun Sa
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the world's biggest drug trafficker.
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Heroine, one of the most
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dangerously addictive
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of the so-called hard drugs
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is a growing menace in America.
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Asian heroin entered the US market
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in the mid-to-late 60s.
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This is the suitcase
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one of the two suitcases
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used to smuggle the heroin
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into the United States.
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They sometimes referred to it
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as "China White".
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The smuggling piece of equipment here
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in that these shells are made
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for the outer side of the suitcase
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rather than for the inside.
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They were bringing in
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very large quantities of pure heroin
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that were supplying the Italians
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the Latin American groups
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the African American groups.
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They even had their own labels.
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Pure. Pure number four.
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This label called Double UOGlobe
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top quality.
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It was usually 95% pure.
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This enabled users to snort it.
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It took away the fear of the needle.
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It expanded the market.
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Businessmen were snorting heroin now
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as opposed to cocaine.
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It was like rocket fuel.
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People were OD-ing
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at a ridiculously high rate.
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I started the Asian heroin squad
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in New York.
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We had approximately 20 agents.
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The DEA is targeting traffickers
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that represent a direct threat
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to the United States.
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Let's see those hands!
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Most of our informants would tell us
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the heroin coming in to New York
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was coming from...
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the Golden Triangle.
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There was only one person that can...
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could ship that much heroin.
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An enemy's weapon
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can be turned on themselves.
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And that was Khun Sa.
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Oh, hit the target!
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Among all the drug lords
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in the Golden Triangle
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he was number one.
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He was called the Opium King
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the Prince of Death.
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Khun Sa is the most well-known.
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And the most notorious.
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The individual primarily responsible
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for this worldwide devastation
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of drug addiction is Khun Sa.
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He has delivered
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as much evil to this world
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as any mafia Don has ever done
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in our history.
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Khun Sa was considered
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public enemy number one.
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He's a crook, he's a liar
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and he's a killer.
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The DEA had a two million price tag
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on his head, dead or alive.
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You would dream about
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actually being able to arrest Khun Sa
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but it would never really believe
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that it would happen.
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You were in New York.
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He was in Burma.
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The Golden Triangle
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is an area of Southeast Asia...
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where three countries, Burma
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Thailand and Laos, come together.
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It's basically a narco-state.
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And the gold part of it is heroin.
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You have a number of ethnic groups
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that occupy the area.
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All of which
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are engaged at some level
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in narcotics trafficking.
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One of the more infamous groups
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was Khun Sa's militia group.
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At his most powerful
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he had a 25,000-manpower army.
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Do you hear, over?
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There were anti-aircraft batteries.
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Trenches laid
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with bamboo spikes coming out.
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All his men were armed
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with the very latest M-16 rifles.
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I think he felt quite
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safe and insulated up there
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in his mountain headquarters.
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His base was surrounded by mountains
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not easy to call in air strikes.
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It was also very difficult
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to send in ground forces.
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My bosses would come to me
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all the time and say
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"When are you gonna get this guy?"
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He was well aware
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that the DEA in particular
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wanted him dead.
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Khun Sa would never sleep
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in the same bed twice.
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He was constantly on the alert
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for assassination attempts.
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He had put a lot of money
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into making sure
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that the Americans weren't going to
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be able to get him easily.
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Khun Sa had never been interviewed
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and so I went to Bangkok
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and spent about a week
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trying to find a way into his base
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on the Burma side
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of the Golden Triangle.
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I'm going to a lot of bars
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drinking with a lot of
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ex-American service men.
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A lot of people engaged
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in the drug smuggling trade
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and finally come across
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Khun Sa's representative.
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A little Chinese guy called Johnnie.
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He arranged for us to travel
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into the Shan State with protection.
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I was heading into
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Khun Sa's hideout.
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A place even the DEA
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had never been able to penetrate.
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We're passing mule trains
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that're coming the opposite direction
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going back into Thailand
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loaded with heroin.
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How many more hours to go?
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Seven more hours to go?
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As the journey went through the night
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we made our way by torchlight.
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There were fires burning
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spooking the mules.
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It was like a journey
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into the gates of hell.
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Finally, we reached his fortress
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but he's never done
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an interview before
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so is he going to show up or not?
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Next morning
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I'm sitting outside the hut
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having breakfast.
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Suddenly, Khun Sa
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appears out of nowhere.
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I couldn't believe
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the most wanted man in the world
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a two-million-dollar bounty
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on his head and there he was.
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You've been called an evil man
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a vicious criminal.
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What do you say to that?
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I am a revolutionary leader.
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The DEA and the Burmese
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and the drug enforcement
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organizations, all have to get money
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from countries like Australia.
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They get a big budget
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and use it in Southeast Asia
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for political purposes.
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To get that money
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they have to say that
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Khun Sa is this and this.
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Are you concerned about
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the effects of heroin?
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I realize that it has bad effects
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on human health
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and that it makes people
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become slow and dull.
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I realize very well
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the effects of heroin.
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Do you feel any responsibility
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for that?
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I feel very sad about that.
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I realize the danger of drugs.
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That is why from my heart
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I want to stop the opium.
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He exuded
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strength, and power and warmth.
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Khun Sa made a pretty amazing offer.
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He told me that he would sell
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all his heroin
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directly to the American government
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for 50 million dollars a year
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over eight years.
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We can use the money to help people
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grow substitution crops.
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Or you can let us buy
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all the opium crop for you
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so we can stop it completely.
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I proposed to the Americans
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that I wanted to help
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opium eradication
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but they never got back to me.
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I've met presidents
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prime ministers, movie stars
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none of them had the charisma
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that Khun Sa had.
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But he was also incredibly ruthless.
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His parents died
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when he was fairly young
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so he was left
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somewhat to his own devices.
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He was illiterate
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he could not read or write.
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His ambitions were
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to become very powerful
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to make a lot of money.
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So around the age of 16
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he started to escort opium
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packed on the mules
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coming out of the mountains.
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It was fairly evident
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that he was going to be a leader.
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Anyone who crossed him...
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the punishment was death by clubbing.
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To operate in that part of the world
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whoever is the most ruthless
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they're the ones who rise to the top.
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Khun Sa quickly recognized
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the quality of the drugs
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being produced in the triangle
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and knew that
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this was his ticket to power.
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When you compare the opium
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that comes from Mexico
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or South America or Afghanistan
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the opium in the Golden Triangle area
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is the best quality.
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It is because of the high elevation.
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Its climate and its soil.
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Opium has been grown
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by us Shan people
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since the days of our early ancestors.
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Originally it was not sold
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but used to cure sickness
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like stomach aches and headaches.
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But when the war with Burma began
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many groups started using opium
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to make money, for their armies.
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Khun Sa was no exception.
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He saw this as an opportunity
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to really gain wealth and power.
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As he began to provide security
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for the opium shipments
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he was able to recruit more soldiers
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and he was able to
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really rival the other groups
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in terms of power and money.
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During the time of his rise
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Khun Sa's people, the Shan
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got into a protracted war with Burma.
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The Shan are an ethnic people.
291
00:16:37,639 --> 00:16:39,975
The Burmese had promised
292
00:16:40,042 --> 00:16:43,278
that we would have our own autonomy
293
00:16:43,378 --> 00:16:45,680
the right of autonomy
294
00:16:46,314 --> 00:16:48,950
but we have never been granted
295
00:16:49,051 --> 00:16:50,018
independence.
296
00:16:51,353 --> 00:16:54,790
We have been second-class citizens.
297
00:16:54,890 --> 00:16:56,324
So we had no choice
298
00:16:56,391 --> 00:16:58,827
but to take up arms
299
00:16:59,361 --> 00:17:02,931
and struggle for our rights.
300
00:17:06,835 --> 00:17:07,936
Khun Sa told me that
301
00:17:08,003 --> 00:17:09,404
the Burmese government
302
00:17:09,471 --> 00:17:10,672
was oppressing his people
303
00:17:10,772 --> 00:17:12,808
and the only way for him
304
00:17:12,874 --> 00:17:14,276
as a revolutionary leader
305
00:17:14,376 --> 00:17:17,412
to fight that was to sell heroin.
306
00:17:17,479 --> 00:17:19,815
He was selling heroin to the West
307
00:17:19,881 --> 00:17:21,850
to finance his revolution.
308
00:17:24,519 --> 00:17:25,654
He thought that
309
00:17:25,720 --> 00:17:28,523
"If we are going to win independence"
310
00:17:29,057 --> 00:17:31,693
"let's do it through drugs."
311
00:17:33,495 --> 00:17:34,729
Khun Sa became
312
00:17:34,796 --> 00:17:36,431
the most powerful warlord
313
00:17:36,531 --> 00:17:37,833
in the Golden Triangle.
314
00:17:43,071 --> 00:17:44,606
At his height, Khun Sa controlled
315
00:17:44,673 --> 00:17:46,241
approximately 70%
316
00:17:46,308 --> 00:17:47,809
of the heroin trafficking
317
00:17:47,876 --> 00:17:49,711
emanating out of Burma.
318
00:17:54,116 --> 00:17:55,650
He was making
319
00:17:56,084 --> 00:17:57,586
hundreds of millions of dollars
320
00:17:57,686 --> 00:17:58,587
per year.
321
00:18:02,924 --> 00:18:05,227
Pablo Escobar and El Chapo
322
00:18:05,327 --> 00:18:07,429
may have had notoriety
323
00:18:08,096 --> 00:18:09,598
but the drug warlords
324
00:18:09,698 --> 00:18:11,366
of the Golden Triangle
325
00:18:11,433 --> 00:18:12,801
pulled in more cash
326
00:18:12,868 --> 00:18:15,070
than they could ever have dreamed.
327
00:18:15,170 --> 00:18:16,404
We're talking about money
328
00:18:16,471 --> 00:18:18,106
that made Khun Sa
329
00:18:18,206 --> 00:18:20,008
the world's biggest drug trafficker.
330
00:18:27,249 --> 00:18:31,386
In the history of the Shan
331
00:18:31,486 --> 00:18:37,626
he was one of our great leaders.
332
00:18:38,126 --> 00:18:39,794
He managed to convince these people
333
00:18:39,895 --> 00:18:41,296
many of whom were very poor
334
00:18:41,363 --> 00:18:42,364
that he was in there
335
00:18:42,430 --> 00:18:43,965
fighting for them.
336
00:18:44,032 --> 00:18:45,567
A lot of that was false.
337
00:18:45,867 --> 00:18:47,602
I think he was really interested in
338
00:18:47,669 --> 00:18:49,838
his own, you know, wealth and power.
339
00:18:52,374 --> 00:18:53,508
He's not like Robin Hood.
340
00:18:54,676 --> 00:18:56,511
He claimed that people adored him
341
00:18:56,611 --> 00:18:59,147
because let's say he earned 100 baht
342
00:18:59,247 --> 00:19:00,415
he gave them five baht. Of course
343
00:19:00,482 --> 00:19:02,317
those people are very happy
344
00:19:02,417 --> 00:19:04,486
but the 95 baht goes into his pocket.
345
00:19:08,523 --> 00:19:11,693
He led a lavish lifestyle.
346
00:19:14,796 --> 00:19:17,766
He had a tennis court, a swimming pool
347
00:19:18,833 --> 00:19:21,770
and two to three of his own houses.
348
00:19:23,405 --> 00:19:26,841
He also had many mistresses.
349
00:19:26,908 --> 00:19:29,244
You could say it was his hobby
350
00:19:29,311 --> 00:19:31,546
or it's in his character.
351
00:19:34,249 --> 00:19:38,153
Did he live well?
352
00:19:38,253 --> 00:19:41,723
Let's just say
353
00:19:42,290 --> 00:19:46,228
he owned many night clubs.
354
00:19:46,328 --> 00:19:47,529
He was into dancing
355
00:19:47,596 --> 00:19:49,965
and having a good time.
356
00:19:53,435 --> 00:19:55,337
On one side, there was Khun Sa
357
00:19:55,403 --> 00:19:57,272
the jungle guerrilla fighter
358
00:19:57,372 --> 00:19:58,974
and on the other, there was a man
359
00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:01,576
who loved the finer things in life.
360
00:20:02,244 --> 00:20:04,679
Who was the real Khun Sa?
361
00:20:07,282 --> 00:20:09,951
America's public enemy number one
362
00:20:10,051 --> 00:20:11,553
in the United States
363
00:20:11,653 --> 00:20:12,988
is drug abuse.
364
00:20:15,323 --> 00:20:16,324
In order to fight
365
00:20:16,391 --> 00:20:17,392
and defeat this enemy
366
00:20:17,492 --> 00:20:19,561
it is necessary to wage
367
00:20:19,628 --> 00:20:21,596
a new, all-out offensive.
368
00:20:25,533 --> 00:20:28,536
Around 1971, President Nixon
369
00:20:28,603 --> 00:20:31,172
declared a war on drugs.
370
00:20:33,375 --> 00:20:35,176
This happens time after time
371
00:20:35,877 --> 00:20:38,413
seeing even teenagers almost dying
372
00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:39,414
fighting death.
373
00:20:40,015 --> 00:20:41,016
Many people standing around
374
00:20:41,082 --> 00:20:42,517
in the crowd, you know
375
00:20:42,617 --> 00:20:43,618
watching this person
376
00:20:43,685 --> 00:20:45,387
if they see this kind of thing and
377
00:20:45,487 --> 00:20:46,488
there's not too much sympathy
378
00:20:46,554 --> 00:20:47,555
for them.
379
00:20:47,656 --> 00:20:48,990
This is a different kind of death.
380
00:20:49,090 --> 00:20:50,458
Drugs were really rampant
381
00:20:50,525 --> 00:20:51,693
in the streets.
382
00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:54,396
Heroin was very prevalent.
383
00:20:56,798 --> 00:20:57,999
Drug dealers and users
384
00:20:58,066 --> 00:20:59,601
have reason to be concerned.
385
00:20:59,668 --> 00:21:00,969
The convicted seller of
386
00:21:01,036 --> 00:21:03,271
a pound of heroin, 15 years to life
387
00:21:03,371 --> 00:21:04,839
with no possibility of parole.
388
00:21:06,174 --> 00:21:07,175
Seeing the damage
389
00:21:07,242 --> 00:21:09,577
drugs was having on American lives
390
00:21:09,644 --> 00:21:11,413
the President gave the DEA
391
00:21:11,479 --> 00:21:13,214
new robust powers
392
00:21:13,281 --> 00:21:15,083
to go after Khun Sa.
393
00:21:23,491 --> 00:21:24,392
Deal the cards, man.
394
00:21:27,028 --> 00:21:28,229
I came here with luck.
395
00:21:29,030 --> 00:21:30,165
What did you have
396
00:21:30,231 --> 00:21:31,366
to make you this lucky today?
397
00:21:31,733 --> 00:21:33,001
Did you bring any talisman with you?
398
00:21:35,437 --> 00:21:38,206
- No luck! - Come on, deal the cards.
399
00:21:39,307 --> 00:21:40,709
Not that I'm bragging
400
00:21:40,809 --> 00:21:42,444
but I got nine!
401
00:21:43,645 --> 00:21:45,213
We had an informant
402
00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:46,281
who was giving us
403
00:21:46,348 --> 00:21:47,482
a lot of information.
404
00:21:48,416 --> 00:21:50,352
He was providing us with intelligence
405
00:21:50,452 --> 00:21:52,354
on Khun Sa's organization
406
00:21:52,887 --> 00:21:54,789
and on the heroin brokers.
407
00:22:00,729 --> 00:22:01,796
Get home safe.
408
00:22:01,896 --> 00:22:02,931
See you tomorrow.
409
00:22:03,865 --> 00:22:04,966
Good luck, man.
410
00:22:07,068 --> 00:22:08,403
Wow, you won a lot.
411
00:22:08,470 --> 00:22:09,537
You're rich today.
412
00:22:09,604 --> 00:22:11,005
Just today, I let you win.
413
00:22:11,573 --> 00:22:12,707
Come early tomorrow.
414
00:22:24,452 --> 00:22:26,654
Two guys came by on a motorcycle
415
00:22:26,721 --> 00:22:28,089
with an AK-47
416
00:22:28,156 --> 00:22:29,524
and just sprayed bullets
417
00:22:29,591 --> 00:22:30,525
and killed him.
418
00:22:35,330 --> 00:22:36,564
If they suspect somebody
419
00:22:36,631 --> 00:22:37,732
of being an informant
420
00:22:37,799 --> 00:22:39,801
then they would have no qualms
421
00:22:39,868 --> 00:22:41,669
about killing that person.
422
00:22:41,770 --> 00:22:43,671
I liked Khun Sa
423
00:22:43,772 --> 00:22:46,474
but I didn't, for a moment, believe
424
00:22:46,574 --> 00:22:49,010
that he was anything but a killer.
425
00:22:54,816 --> 00:22:56,484
By the 1980s, Khun Sa was
426
00:22:56,551 --> 00:22:58,119
at the height of his power
427
00:22:58,186 --> 00:23:00,288
and he was effectively untouchable.
428
00:23:00,922 --> 00:23:02,090
There is, at the present time
429
00:23:02,157 --> 00:23:04,359
a stockpile of over one ton
430
00:23:05,026 --> 00:23:08,029
of 94% to 97% pure heroin.
431
00:23:09,697 --> 00:23:11,199
The agents, investigators
432
00:23:11,299 --> 00:23:13,468
prosecutors at the time
433
00:23:13,568 --> 00:23:14,836
were focused on one thing
434
00:23:14,936 --> 00:23:15,970
and that was stopping
435
00:23:16,037 --> 00:23:17,238
the flow of Southeast Asian heroin
436
00:23:17,305 --> 00:23:18,306
into the United States.
437
00:23:18,406 --> 00:23:20,241
They sent DEA agents
438
00:23:20,308 --> 00:23:21,910
to be stationed in Thailand.
439
00:23:27,482 --> 00:23:29,317
My boss called me into the room
440
00:23:29,417 --> 00:23:30,418
and wanted me to set up
441
00:23:30,485 --> 00:23:31,920
a small group.
442
00:23:32,353 --> 00:23:33,388
And the idea was that
443
00:23:33,488 --> 00:23:36,124
we would target Khun Sa.
444
00:23:42,030 --> 00:23:43,131
DEA at that time
445
00:23:43,198 --> 00:23:45,033
working with the Thai authorities
446
00:23:45,133 --> 00:23:46,935
seized quite a bit of heroin that was
447
00:23:47,001 --> 00:23:48,870
destined for the United States.
448
00:23:55,977 --> 00:23:57,045
First case we did
449
00:23:57,111 --> 00:23:58,413
two and a half tons of opium.
450
00:24:07,121 --> 00:24:10,592
This was a major blow for Khun Sa.
451
00:24:10,692 --> 00:24:14,362
This was huge win for Group 41.
452
00:24:29,677 --> 00:24:33,481
We had word through special sources
453
00:24:33,548 --> 00:24:35,617
and special intelligence
454
00:24:35,683 --> 00:24:37,519
that Khun Sa stated that
455
00:24:37,585 --> 00:24:39,354
any DEA agent found
456
00:24:39,454 --> 00:24:40,922
he will kidnap.
457
00:24:48,096 --> 00:24:50,231
Mike Powers was a DEA agent
458
00:24:50,331 --> 00:24:51,533
assigned to work
459
00:24:51,599 --> 00:24:52,634
in the Chiang Mai area.
460
00:24:56,471 --> 00:24:58,039
He liked to dress in fatigues
461
00:24:58,106 --> 00:24:59,207
and go out with the police
462
00:24:59,274 --> 00:25:01,843
and put his face out in the public.
463
00:25:04,212 --> 00:25:05,113
That's very dangerous.
464
00:25:06,447 --> 00:25:07,515
You just walking around like that and
465
00:25:07,615 --> 00:25:10,285
tell them, "I'm a DEA agent."
466
00:25:11,119 --> 00:25:12,854
You should be a secret, you know
467
00:25:12,921 --> 00:25:14,322
not trying to show your face
468
00:25:14,389 --> 00:25:16,090
on the media at all.
469
00:25:18,927 --> 00:25:19,994
That day, Mrs Powers
470
00:25:20,094 --> 00:25:21,896
came out of the house around 10
471
00:25:21,963 --> 00:25:24,399
or 11 o'clock to do some shopping.
472
00:25:25,266 --> 00:25:27,035
- How much? - 50 baht.
473
00:25:27,135 --> 00:25:28,236
50 baht?
474
00:25:28,836 --> 00:25:30,171
Can you make it 30?
475
00:25:30,538 --> 00:25:31,839
Okay, I'll take them.
476
00:25:37,445 --> 00:25:38,513
It's okay, you can keep that.
477
00:25:39,113 --> 00:25:40,248
Thank you.
478
00:25:52,560 --> 00:25:53,928
- Hello. - Hello!
479
00:25:53,995 --> 00:25:54,929
Let's go home?
480
00:25:59,634 --> 00:26:01,569
Calm down!
481
00:26:08,810 --> 00:26:10,578
- Stay away from me! - Calm down!
482
00:26:11,312 --> 00:26:12,246
Brother!
483
00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:13,615
Calm down.
484
00:26:14,282 --> 00:26:16,551
What do you want? You can tell me.
485
00:26:17,085 --> 00:26:18,086
I told you, back off!
486
00:26:18,152 --> 00:26:19,253
I don't want anything. Back off!
487
00:26:26,761 --> 00:26:28,630
- Back off! - Calm down.
488
00:26:35,470 --> 00:26:37,405
Somebody was trying to send a message
489
00:26:37,472 --> 00:26:39,107
to Mike, to the DEA
490
00:26:39,207 --> 00:26:40,241
to the Americans.
491
00:26:42,477 --> 00:26:44,479
If you crossed Khun Sa...
492
00:26:47,348 --> 00:26:48,349
there would be no question
493
00:26:48,449 --> 00:26:49,417
you would be killed.
494
00:26:59,327 --> 00:27:00,595
Acting on a tip-off
495
00:27:00,695 --> 00:27:02,330
customs agents in Bangkok
496
00:27:02,397 --> 00:27:04,365
searched a New York bound freighter
497
00:27:04,432 --> 00:27:06,401
loaded with bales of rubber.
498
00:27:06,467 --> 00:27:09,070
In 1988, the Thai authorities
499
00:27:09,170 --> 00:27:11,539
working with the DEA seized
500
00:27:11,606 --> 00:27:12,974
three and a half thousand pounds
501
00:27:13,041 --> 00:27:15,576
of pure Southeast Asian heroin.
502
00:27:16,377 --> 00:27:17,345
When they opened up
503
00:27:17,445 --> 00:27:18,479
some of the bales, they found
504
00:27:18,546 --> 00:27:20,448
packets of almost pure heroin.
505
00:27:24,919 --> 00:27:26,788
This was said to be
506
00:27:26,888 --> 00:27:28,189
directly attributable
507
00:27:28,289 --> 00:27:30,391
to Khun Sa and his organization.
508
00:27:30,825 --> 00:27:32,427
It was the largest heroin find
509
00:27:32,527 --> 00:27:33,528
ever made.
510
00:27:33,594 --> 00:27:35,229
The value of the haul in American street
511
00:27:35,329 --> 00:27:37,031
prices over one billion dollars.
512
00:27:37,131 --> 00:27:39,333
We were well aware that
513
00:27:39,400 --> 00:27:41,169
this organization was sending
514
00:27:41,235 --> 00:27:42,236
shipments like that
515
00:27:42,336 --> 00:27:44,005
into the continental United States.
516
00:27:45,039 --> 00:27:47,008
Law enforcement officials from the FBI
517
00:27:47,075 --> 00:27:48,443
the Drug Enforcement Administration
518
00:27:48,509 --> 00:27:49,811
proudly displayed guns
519
00:27:49,877 --> 00:27:51,345
and sacks of heroin.
520
00:27:51,446 --> 00:27:53,815
Eventually we were confident that
521
00:27:53,881 --> 00:27:56,818
we had enough to connect Khun Sa
522
00:27:56,884 --> 00:27:59,053
with the heroin
523
00:27:59,120 --> 00:28:00,354
coming into New York City.
524
00:28:02,790 --> 00:28:05,393
That enabled us to indict Khun Sa
525
00:28:05,493 --> 00:28:06,594
for trafficking.
526
00:28:10,031 --> 00:28:11,065
The charges were
527
00:28:11,165 --> 00:28:13,835
conspiracy to traffic in narcotics
528
00:28:13,935 --> 00:28:15,470
distribution of narcotics
529
00:28:15,570 --> 00:28:18,272
and continuing criminal enterprise.
530
00:28:23,177 --> 00:28:25,747
The key to bringing Khun Sa down
531
00:28:25,847 --> 00:28:26,814
was the indictment.
532
00:28:31,452 --> 00:28:32,687
It gave
533
00:28:33,121 --> 00:28:35,189
especially the Thai government
534
00:28:35,289 --> 00:28:37,825
the legal rationale for
535
00:28:38,359 --> 00:28:40,027
shutting down the border
536
00:28:40,128 --> 00:28:41,229
and going after him.
537
00:28:45,133 --> 00:28:48,136
Around 1994, the DEA Bangkok office
538
00:28:48,202 --> 00:28:50,471
conceived of a strategy to go after
539
00:28:50,571 --> 00:28:52,573
the highest-level drug traffickers.
540
00:28:52,640 --> 00:28:53,841
We got it, Lieutenant.
541
00:28:55,009 --> 00:28:57,445
This is Khun Sa
542
00:28:57,512 --> 00:28:59,514
the most-wanted man we're looking for.
543
00:29:01,349 --> 00:29:02,950
The name of this operation
544
00:29:03,050 --> 00:29:04,452
and this new strategy
545
00:29:04,519 --> 00:29:06,154
was Operation Tiger Trap.
546
00:29:12,894 --> 00:29:17,832
This is Khun Sa and all of his files.
547
00:29:19,634 --> 00:29:22,770
This is one of Khun Sa's henchmen.
548
00:29:22,837 --> 00:29:25,206
He has a lot of manpower.
549
00:29:26,574 --> 00:29:28,376
And this is Bang Ron
550
00:29:28,442 --> 00:29:30,178
the guy we caught
551
00:29:30,244 --> 00:29:32,713
and he had informed on Khun Sa.
552
00:29:32,814 --> 00:29:34,448
You had the king, Khun Sa.
553
00:29:35,116 --> 00:29:36,717
Was he going to be touchable?
554
00:29:37,218 --> 00:29:38,219
We didn't know.
555
00:29:38,286 --> 00:29:40,655
But he depended on his underlings.
556
00:29:40,721 --> 00:29:41,722
He had people that were
557
00:29:41,789 --> 00:29:42,790
taking care of his money.
558
00:29:42,890 --> 00:29:44,091
He had people that were taking care
559
00:29:44,158 --> 00:29:45,760
of his drug distribution.
560
00:29:45,827 --> 00:29:47,428
He had people taking care of his army.
561
00:29:47,795 --> 00:29:49,330
If we need to travel
562
00:29:49,397 --> 00:29:51,232
we need to travel by car.
563
00:29:51,332 --> 00:29:52,233
Okay.
564
00:29:54,802 --> 00:29:55,803
Our thought was that
565
00:29:55,870 --> 00:29:57,572
if we could eliminate these people
566
00:29:57,638 --> 00:29:59,006
we would stop Khun Sa.
567
00:30:20,428 --> 00:30:22,029
Freeze! This is the police!
568
00:30:22,129 --> 00:30:23,197
Get down!
569
00:30:24,498 --> 00:30:27,168
Why are you arresting me?
570
00:30:31,639 --> 00:30:32,707
Let me go!
571
00:30:32,807 --> 00:30:35,042
Stay still!
572
00:30:41,883 --> 00:30:43,818
Within 15 hours
573
00:30:43,885 --> 00:30:44,919
we got everybody arrested.
574
00:30:50,725 --> 00:30:52,960
These individuals all associated with
575
00:30:53,027 --> 00:30:55,229
the drug trafficking organization
576
00:30:55,329 --> 00:30:57,431
controlled by Khun Sa
577
00:30:57,531 --> 00:30:58,833
have been taken into custody
578
00:30:58,933 --> 00:31:00,468
by Thai authorities.
579
00:31:00,801 --> 00:31:02,169
We hope they can be extradited
580
00:31:02,236 --> 00:31:03,838
to stand trial in the United States.
581
00:31:04,772 --> 00:31:06,374
Arresting these individuals
582
00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:09,977
was an extremely significant act
583
00:31:10,044 --> 00:31:12,146
because you're cutting off
584
00:31:12,246 --> 00:31:13,915
all the heads and essentially
585
00:31:14,015 --> 00:31:15,349
putting the monster, you know
586
00:31:15,449 --> 00:31:16,517
out of commission.
587
00:31:16,617 --> 00:31:18,686
We attacked his infrastructure
588
00:31:18,753 --> 00:31:20,321
we dismantled his empire.
589
00:31:20,688 --> 00:31:23,591
The impact was felt in two places.
590
00:31:24,725 --> 00:31:27,495
It was felt here in New York
591
00:31:28,496 --> 00:31:31,032
and it was felt
592
00:31:31,132 --> 00:31:32,466
in the hills of the Golden Triangle.
593
00:31:38,239 --> 00:31:39,907
They couldn't run anymore.
594
00:31:53,521 --> 00:31:56,290
Initially, I think he was probably
595
00:31:57,291 --> 00:31:59,160
maybe not so concerned.
596
00:31:59,226 --> 00:32:00,594
But as the time went by
597
00:32:00,695 --> 00:32:02,630
and as he realized that
598
00:32:02,730 --> 00:32:04,165
they were going to be extradited
599
00:32:04,231 --> 00:32:05,232
to the United States
600
00:32:05,333 --> 00:32:06,434
and were actually extradited
601
00:32:06,534 --> 00:32:07,535
to the United States
602
00:32:07,601 --> 00:32:08,736
it had to hit him pretty hard.
603
00:32:29,256 --> 00:32:30,758
Khun Sa's ultimate weakness
604
00:32:30,858 --> 00:32:33,127
he may have felt he was untouchable
605
00:32:35,429 --> 00:32:37,131
and learned otherwise.
606
00:32:54,448 --> 00:32:55,716
While his drug empire
607
00:32:55,816 --> 00:32:58,919
was slowly being shut down by the DEA
608
00:32:58,986 --> 00:33:01,355
politics between the Burmese military
609
00:33:01,455 --> 00:33:03,391
and Khun Sa's revolutionary army
610
00:33:03,491 --> 00:33:05,393
reached a tipping point.
611
00:33:05,793 --> 00:33:09,630
Around this time, the Myanmar army
612
00:33:09,730 --> 00:33:13,034
began taking on Khun Sa.
613
00:33:13,134 --> 00:33:15,069
Basically, Khun Sa
614
00:33:15,169 --> 00:33:16,470
was being squeezed.
615
00:33:16,570 --> 00:33:17,571
He was being squeezed
616
00:33:17,638 --> 00:33:18,906
from the Thai side
617
00:33:19,006 --> 00:33:20,841
and he was also being squeezed
618
00:33:20,908 --> 00:33:22,276
from the Myanmar side.
619
00:33:26,514 --> 00:33:29,683
Head towards 521, do you copy?
620
00:33:31,719 --> 00:33:34,088
He had attacked our military camps
621
00:33:34,155 --> 00:33:36,524
in a major offensive.
622
00:33:37,258 --> 00:33:39,026
Yeah. 521, and then head about
623
00:33:39,126 --> 00:33:41,195
one mile farther north is enough.
624
00:33:44,031 --> 00:33:46,434
It's not early.
625
00:33:46,534 --> 00:33:48,269
Pass by 514 to come to me.
626
00:33:48,369 --> 00:33:50,838
That way is better for you.
627
00:33:52,673 --> 00:33:53,808
More than 800 of his men
628
00:33:58,345 --> 00:34:01,415
lost their lives in the war.
629
00:34:01,482 --> 00:34:04,652
His troops felt demoralized.
630
00:34:11,058 --> 00:34:12,626
His top lieutenants were gone.
631
00:34:15,729 --> 00:34:16,730
I think he began to
632
00:34:16,797 --> 00:34:18,566
see the writing on the wall.
633
00:34:51,732 --> 00:34:52,933
One of his men
634
00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:54,568
contacted our intelligence unit.
635
00:34:54,635 --> 00:34:57,438
Forming a team lead by me
636
00:35:06,313 --> 00:35:11,152
we went to Khun Sa's headquarters.
637
00:35:19,426 --> 00:35:21,228
We had to cross Thanlwin River.
638
00:35:21,328 --> 00:35:22,630
It was a perilous journey.
639
00:35:36,810 --> 00:35:39,413
Khun Sa came and met me.
640
00:35:43,484 --> 00:35:45,553
Once I saw his face
641
00:35:47,388 --> 00:35:52,927
I knew he was serious
642
00:35:53,427 --> 00:35:58,666
and was not up to any tricks.
643
00:36:07,007 --> 00:36:10,244
On the 7th of January 1996
644
00:36:10,311 --> 00:36:11,245
he surrendered.
645
00:36:19,186 --> 00:36:20,588
It was a major event at the time.
646
00:36:22,556 --> 00:36:25,926
Myanmar commanders and ministers
647
00:36:25,993 --> 00:36:27,027
were all there.
648
00:36:30,164 --> 00:36:33,767
His army surrendered
649
00:36:33,834 --> 00:36:35,569
all their weapons.
650
00:36:39,206 --> 00:36:41,842
The critical thing he turned over
651
00:36:41,909 --> 00:36:43,711
was his arms factory.
652
00:36:43,811 --> 00:36:46,714
The size of a small workshop.
653
00:36:50,050 --> 00:36:51,051
It was operated by
654
00:36:51,118 --> 00:36:52,253
200 soldiers and technicians.
655
00:36:57,925 --> 00:37:00,527
They produced mines, hand grenades
656
00:37:00,594 --> 00:37:03,964
and rocket launchers.
657
00:37:04,031 --> 00:37:06,767
They brought me to the factory.
658
00:37:11,338 --> 00:37:15,776
Khun Sa's men paid respects to him.
659
00:37:17,077 --> 00:37:20,547
He gave away lots of money.
660
00:37:20,648 --> 00:37:24,518
About 150 to 200,000 US dollars
661
00:37:24,618 --> 00:37:28,122
in just one morning.
662
00:37:28,188 --> 00:37:31,492
We had to make a few trips
663
00:37:31,558 --> 00:37:36,363
from the safe he kept.
664
00:37:43,404 --> 00:37:48,242
After which, we just wanted the crowd
665
00:37:48,309 --> 00:37:50,311
to quickly disperse.
666
00:37:56,550 --> 00:37:59,253
Khun Sa gave this speech
667
00:37:59,320 --> 00:38:01,355
and saying this was all done
668
00:38:01,455 --> 00:38:02,556
in the name of making peace.
669
00:38:03,457 --> 00:38:05,392
I will officially announce
670
00:38:05,492 --> 00:38:06,927
that I don't want to do it anymore.
671
00:38:11,198 --> 00:38:13,667
I will transfer my power
672
00:38:13,767 --> 00:38:17,604
to God and my people.
673
00:38:17,671 --> 00:38:19,306
The people can choose
674
00:38:19,406 --> 00:38:21,008
their own leader.
675
00:38:27,881 --> 00:38:28,949
When Khun Sa surrendered
676
00:38:29,049 --> 00:38:30,284
to the Burmese government
677
00:38:30,351 --> 00:38:31,852
I was the one who called the DEA
678
00:38:31,919 --> 00:38:34,154
and told them. They said, "Really?"
679
00:38:34,254 --> 00:38:36,090
And I said, "You go check the news."
680
00:38:37,358 --> 00:38:38,359
To hear that Khun Sa
681
00:38:38,459 --> 00:38:39,426
had been brought down
682
00:38:39,526 --> 00:38:41,762
was very gratifying for me, personally.
683
00:38:41,829 --> 00:38:43,764
And of course, for the DEA.
684
00:38:44,498 --> 00:38:47,368
It was an unbelievable culmination
685
00:38:47,434 --> 00:38:50,003
of a great story.
686
00:38:54,675 --> 00:38:56,610
The DEA had demanded
687
00:38:56,677 --> 00:38:58,112
from the Burmese government
688
00:38:58,212 --> 00:39:00,914
for him to be extradited.
689
00:39:01,815 --> 00:39:04,084
But the Prince of Death had no plans
690
00:39:04,151 --> 00:39:05,452
to spend any time
691
00:39:05,519 --> 00:39:07,654
behind bars in America.
692
00:39:07,721 --> 00:39:10,257
Like the criminal mastermind he was
693
00:39:10,324 --> 00:39:11,692
he'd secretly made a deal
694
00:39:11,759 --> 00:39:12,760
with the Burmese
695
00:39:12,826 --> 00:39:14,528
before his surrender.
696
00:39:14,595 --> 00:39:17,798
One of the terms of his surrender
697
00:39:17,898 --> 00:39:20,033
was that he would not be turned over
698
00:39:20,134 --> 00:39:21,668
to the Americans.
699
00:39:24,538 --> 00:39:27,975
He was our citizen.
700
00:39:28,041 --> 00:39:31,545
He surrendered in peace.
701
00:39:31,645 --> 00:39:32,679
It was a bold decision to surrender.
702
00:39:32,746 --> 00:39:34,081
Why hand him over to America?
703
00:39:34,148 --> 00:39:36,450
That was why he had surrendered
704
00:39:36,517 --> 00:39:37,484
to the Burmese army
705
00:39:38,285 --> 00:39:40,854
instead of allowing himself
706
00:39:40,921 --> 00:39:43,357
to be captured by the DEA.
707
00:39:44,458 --> 00:39:46,226
No matter how much evidence we had
708
00:39:46,326 --> 00:39:47,928
of Khun Sa's drug trafficking
709
00:39:48,829 --> 00:39:49,997
they were not about to
710
00:39:50,097 --> 00:39:52,032
hand him over to us.
711
00:39:52,933 --> 00:39:54,134
The man responsible
712
00:39:54,201 --> 00:39:56,537
for thousands of overdose deaths
713
00:39:56,603 --> 00:39:58,806
in America, and elsewhere
714
00:39:58,872 --> 00:40:02,075
cleverly escaped US justice.
715
00:40:08,849 --> 00:40:10,017
He was put under house arrest
716
00:40:10,083 --> 00:40:11,118
in Rangoon and then
717
00:40:11,218 --> 00:40:12,986
was allowed to do
718
00:40:13,086 --> 00:40:14,154
legitimate business.
719
00:40:15,856 --> 00:40:17,925
He owned a golf course.
720
00:40:18,358 --> 00:40:19,426
His punishment wasn't
721
00:40:19,526 --> 00:40:20,527
really very severe
722
00:40:20,594 --> 00:40:22,429
his punishment was...
723
00:40:22,930 --> 00:40:24,565
"Okay, time for you to retire."
724
00:40:24,631 --> 00:40:25,632
"Time for you to get out"
725
00:40:25,732 --> 00:40:26,633
"of the business."
726
00:40:27,568 --> 00:40:28,569
We'd liked to have seen him
727
00:40:28,635 --> 00:40:29,570
go to jail.
728
00:40:33,207 --> 00:40:34,708
It never really mattered to me
729
00:40:34,808 --> 00:40:37,845
that we couldn't put our hands on him
730
00:40:37,911 --> 00:40:39,847
and bring him to the United States.
731
00:40:43,884 --> 00:40:45,652
When you look at that chessboard
732
00:40:45,719 --> 00:40:47,054
he was the king.
733
00:40:49,356 --> 00:40:51,058
He was the king that we...
734
00:40:51,124 --> 00:40:52,726
eventually knocked over.
735
00:40:53,627 --> 00:40:54,828
We ended
736
00:40:56,096 --> 00:40:57,130
Southeast Asian heroin
737
00:40:57,197 --> 00:40:58,232
here in New York.
738
00:41:31,632 --> 00:41:32,933
Every year
739
00:41:33,000 --> 00:41:37,037
villagers and former soldiers
740
00:41:37,137 --> 00:41:40,307
come together to honor Khun Sa.
741
00:41:40,641 --> 00:41:42,509
We, the villagers of Baan Hin Taek of
742
00:41:42,609 --> 00:41:44,511
different ethnicities come together.
743
00:41:44,912 --> 00:41:46,747
We gather here to give offerings.
744
00:41:52,152 --> 00:41:55,455
This is to remind the new generation
745
00:41:55,522 --> 00:41:58,759
of all the good Khun Sa did
746
00:41:58,859 --> 00:42:00,694
for the Shan and our village.
747
00:42:14,441 --> 00:42:17,411
Those who are pro Khun Sa would say
748
00:42:17,477 --> 00:42:19,913
he was just a freedom fighter.
749
00:42:21,081 --> 00:42:22,115
Those who oppose him
750
00:42:22,215 --> 00:42:23,684
would say he was just a drug lord.
751
00:42:31,558 --> 00:42:34,628
But I would say he was both.
752
00:42:41,168 --> 00:42:42,603
With drug warlords
753
00:42:42,669 --> 00:42:44,471
in the Golden Triangle
754
00:42:44,571 --> 00:42:45,572
take one out
755
00:42:45,639 --> 00:42:47,207
pretty soon, another one emerges.
756
00:42:55,916 --> 00:42:57,918
They want their own fiefdoms.
757
00:42:58,018 --> 00:42:59,019
It's about power
758
00:42:59,086 --> 00:43:00,687
it's about control, it's about money.
759
00:43:02,990 --> 00:43:04,491
Their business must go on.
760
00:43:04,558 --> 00:43:05,993
Just like the show must go on.
761
00:43:06,093 --> 00:43:07,194
The evil will never die.