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Narcotopia: In Search of the Asian Drug Cartel That Survived the CIA
The untold story of an indigenous people running the world’s mightiest narco-state — and America’s struggle to thwart them.
In Asia’s narcotics-producing heartland, the Wa reign supreme. They dominate the Golden Triangle, a mountainous stretch of Burma between Thailand and China. Their 30,000-strong army, wielding missiles and attack drones, makes Mexican cartels look like street gangs.
Wa moguls are unrivaled in the region’s $60 billion meth trade and infamous for mass-producing pink, vanilla-scented speed pills. Drugs finance Wa State, a bona fide nation with its own laws, anthems, schools, and electricity grid. Though revered by their people, Wa leaders are scorned by US policymakers as vicious “kingpins” who “poison our society for profit.”
In Narcotopia , award-winning journalist Patrick Winn uncovers the truth behind Asia’s top drug-trafficking organization, as told by a Wa commander turned DEA informant. This gripping narrative shreds drug war myths and leads to a chilling revelation: the Wa syndicate’s origins are smudged with CIA fingerprints.
This is a saga of native people tapping the power of narcotics to create a nation where there was none before — and covert US intelligence operations gone wrong.
In Asia’s narcotics-producing heartland, the Wa reign supreme. They dominate the Golden Triangle, a mountainous stretch of Burma between Thailand and China. Their 30,000-strong army, wielding missiles and attack drones, makes Mexican cartels look like street gangs.
Wa moguls are unrivaled in the region’s $60 billion meth trade and infamous for mass-producing pink, vanilla-scented speed pills. Drugs finance Wa State, a bona fide nation with its own laws, anthems, schools, and electricity grid. Though revered by their people, Wa leaders are scorned by US policymakers as vicious “kingpins” who “poison our society for profit.”
In Narcotopia , award-winning journalist Patrick Winn uncovers the truth behind Asia’s top drug-trafficking organization, as told by a Wa commander turned DEA informant. This gripping narrative shreds drug war myths and leads to a chilling revelation: the Wa syndicate’s origins are smudged with CIA fingerprints.
This is a saga of native people tapping the power of narcotics to create a nation where there was none before — and covert US intelligence operations gone wrong.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 30, 2024
219 people are currently reading
2235 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Winn
4 books37 followersPatrick Winn is an investigative journalist who covers rebellion and black markets in Southeast Asia. Winn enters the worlds of guerrillas and drug traffickers to mine stories that otherwise go ignored. His work has appeared in many outlets — The New York Times, NPR, the BBC — and he has received the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award (also known as the ‘poor man’s Pulitzer’) as well as a National Press Club award. Winn is also a three-time winner of Amnesty International’s Human Rights Press Awards among other prizes. He is currently Southeast Asia correspondent for The World, heard on NPR member stations across the US.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
December 30, 2023
Who would have thought that you can't trust a spy agency? Oh, everyone knew that already? Well, Patrick Winn's Narcotopia is a wonderful example of how doing the "right" thing can be extremely objective.
Narcotopia tells the story of how a section of Burma became a massive and lasting narco-state while battling the CIA and the DEA. Well, the CIA and DEA were there, but the biggest dangers came from the various groups within Burma. Everyone wanted a piece of the pie or they wanted to destroy the pie.
I had very little background on this subject before I started the book. I also find that books with massive scope can often devolve into becoming a list of names too large for anyone to remember. I am happy to report Winn does not fall into this trap. While this is a wide ranging narrative, most of the action is focused around a man named Saw Lu, who at the very least, is one of the most stubborn men to ever exist. I won't say more, but trust me, this guy did not know the definition of quit.
You get to learn all about the various groups in Burma and Winn does a great job world building without overwhelming the reader. He also explains the rivalry between the CIA and DEA in the War on Drugs. I should mention that Winn comes off rather strong about what criticisms he will level against these organizations in his introduction. I did worry this would become a long diatribe against American policy and turn this from history to sociology. Winn, once again, uses a deft touch and his criticisms are valid and backed by solid reasoning even if you may not agree. The CIA certainly takes the brunt of it, which was fine with me as the son of a DEA agent. This story contains a lot of gray area and Winn never loses sight of that. It's a must read.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and PublicAffairs.)
Narcotopia tells the story of how a section of Burma became a massive and lasting narco-state while battling the CIA and the DEA. Well, the CIA and DEA were there, but the biggest dangers came from the various groups within Burma. Everyone wanted a piece of the pie or they wanted to destroy the pie.
I had very little background on this subject before I started the book. I also find that books with massive scope can often devolve into becoming a list of names too large for anyone to remember. I am happy to report Winn does not fall into this trap. While this is a wide ranging narrative, most of the action is focused around a man named Saw Lu, who at the very least, is one of the most stubborn men to ever exist. I won't say more, but trust me, this guy did not know the definition of quit.
You get to learn all about the various groups in Burma and Winn does a great job world building without overwhelming the reader. He also explains the rivalry between the CIA and DEA in the War on Drugs. I should mention that Winn comes off rather strong about what criticisms he will level against these organizations in his introduction. I did worry this would become a long diatribe against American policy and turn this from history to sociology. Winn, once again, uses a deft touch and his criticisms are valid and backed by solid reasoning even if you may not agree. The CIA certainly takes the brunt of it, which was fine with me as the son of a DEA agent. This story contains a lot of gray area and Winn never loses sight of that. It's a must read.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and PublicAffairs.)
November 18, 2023
It is not often that you stumble upon a story that is so big, so important, and yet you have never heard of it before. And a story so well told!
I've read a lot of books about drug trafficking, and quite a few about Burma, but I had no idea about Wa State, a mysterious narco-land hidden in the mountains that is the subject of this fascinating volume. And as the author points out, in 1990 it supplied 60 percent of America's heroin needs, while a much better-known area on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan supplied only 30 percent. So in terms of new knowledge alone, this book was illuminating. But that is only one of its qualities.
The story of how it all happened is written like a thriller and absolutely worth another Netflix "Narcos" series: there are headhunters and sorcerers, warlords and mercenaries, proxy wars fought by global empires, infighting between different branches of the U.S. government, covert CIA missions, and so many larger-than-life characters. But there is more. Patrick Winn doesn't take anything at face value, he digs deeper and uncovers an even more interesting story, the story of a forgotten and maligned nation fighting for a right to exist.
As he writes, “Wa people are indigenous to China’s frontier, just like Tibetans and Uyghurs, minorities who’ve suffered deeply under a Chinese government that micromanages their every move. The Wa have faced the same threat. So why is there a “Free Tibet” movement but none to free the Wa? Because they freed themselves. Yet, through Western eyes, they did it the wrong way: by producing illegal drugs, spending the profits on weapons, and daring outsiders to come take their land.”
Winn, an American who has lived in Southeast Asia for many years, paints a harsh portrait of U.S. international involvement. He shows how well-meaning people have been prevented from making a difference by the politics of the moment. He describes feuds between the DEA and the CIA that led local traffickers to view “the Americans as a confounding people, so warlike they’d fly across the world just to tussle with their own kind”.
It is also a prime example of excellent investigative journalism - the author managed to talk directly to most of the key players and get access to many classified documents, revealing covert actions and strategies. At the same time, he manages to keep his narrative engaging and witty. It is truly a rare achievement, comparable to books by such great writers as Patrick Radeen Keefe.
You have to read this book!
Thanks to the publisher, PublicAffairs, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
I've read a lot of books about drug trafficking, and quite a few about Burma, but I had no idea about Wa State, a mysterious narco-land hidden in the mountains that is the subject of this fascinating volume. And as the author points out, in 1990 it supplied 60 percent of America's heroin needs, while a much better-known area on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan supplied only 30 percent. So in terms of new knowledge alone, this book was illuminating. But that is only one of its qualities.
The story of how it all happened is written like a thriller and absolutely worth another Netflix "Narcos" series: there are headhunters and sorcerers, warlords and mercenaries, proxy wars fought by global empires, infighting between different branches of the U.S. government, covert CIA missions, and so many larger-than-life characters. But there is more. Patrick Winn doesn't take anything at face value, he digs deeper and uncovers an even more interesting story, the story of a forgotten and maligned nation fighting for a right to exist.
As he writes, “Wa people are indigenous to China’s frontier, just like Tibetans and Uyghurs, minorities who’ve suffered deeply under a Chinese government that micromanages their every move. The Wa have faced the same threat. So why is there a “Free Tibet” movement but none to free the Wa? Because they freed themselves. Yet, through Western eyes, they did it the wrong way: by producing illegal drugs, spending the profits on weapons, and daring outsiders to come take their land.”
Winn, an American who has lived in Southeast Asia for many years, paints a harsh portrait of U.S. international involvement. He shows how well-meaning people have been prevented from making a difference by the politics of the moment. He describes feuds between the DEA and the CIA that led local traffickers to view “the Americans as a confounding people, so warlike they’d fly across the world just to tussle with their own kind”.
It is also a prime example of excellent investigative journalism - the author managed to talk directly to most of the key players and get access to many classified documents, revealing covert actions and strategies. At the same time, he manages to keep his narrative engaging and witty. It is truly a rare achievement, comparable to books by such great writers as Patrick Radeen Keefe.
You have to read this book!
Thanks to the publisher, PublicAffairs, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
August 10, 2024
I felt this book was just re - hashed from chapter to chapter. I wanted more interviews with many more players involved in the Wa culture.
The most interesting parts of Narcotopia were definitely the power struggles between the CIA and the DEA.
The most interesting parts of Narcotopia were definitely the power struggles between the CIA and the DEA.
April 7, 2025
Per questo saggio è stato amore a prima vista.
L’ho adocchiato in libreria, ne ho letto la trama e l’ho preso subito.
La storia è assolutamente intrigante. Narcotopia narra la saga di un popolo ingideno della Birmania, gli Wa, che per sfuggire alla persecuzione della giunta militare birmana e all’odio/ignorazione pressoché indistinto del resto del mondo, ha sfruttato l’unica risorsa che aveva a disposizione: l’oppio. Diciamo che anche la loro fama di cacciatori di teste e impalatori non ha giovato alla loro popolarità.
Ad ogni modo, è grazie all’eroina e alla metanfetamina che la popolazione degli Wa ha creato un vero e proprio Stato, chiamato UWSA (United Wa State Army). Uno stato autonomo all’interno dei confini della Birmania, con leggi proprie, scuole proprie, ministeri, esercito, tutto quello che serve a mandare avanti un paese. Ovviamente non essendo riconosciuto dalle Nazioni Unite i suoi confini non sono delimitati sulle mappe geografiche. Ma quei territori sono loro, amministrati e governati dai Wa.
Patrick Winn, dopo anni di tentativi, perché nello UWSA si entra solo con la forza o su invito, riesce ad entrare in Birmania. La fortuna lo porta subito ad incontrare Saw Lu: da giovane era un agente del regime militare birmano che, eseguendo gli ordini, doveva infiltrarsi tra i cacciatori di teste e persuaderli a rivolgere il loro odio verso i comunisti cinesi. Questo perché a quei tempi, nel 1966, i cinesi bramavano di soggiogare le tribù indigene della Birmania per convertirle al comunismo.
La sua missione lo portò a diventare uno dei primi signori della guerra Wa, un leader del suo Stato e un prezioso collaboratore della DEA.
Gli scopi della giunta militare birmana collimavano con i suoi stessi interessi. Egli infatti si era prefisso il compito di civilizzare il suo popolo.
La sua missione, però, non era il primo tentativo di riunire le tribù Wa in un grande esercito per contrastare l’avanzata cinese. Qualche anno prima ci avevano già provato Stati Uniti e Kuomintang (il governo amico degli americani sconfitto da Mao Zedong). CIA e Kuomintang avevano ben pensato di far piovere dal cielo casse di armi, munizioni e cibo per armare i ribelli, gli Esuli, coloro che erano stati epurati dal governo cinese come indesiderati e avevano trovato rifugio nella giungla birmana. La loro idea era quella di armarli, riunirli tutti assieme contro la minaccia comunista e successivamente mandarli in Cina per ristabilire il governo del Kuomintang. Inutile specificare che l’idea si rivelò un completo fallimento per gli Esuli, che vennero massacrati dal’Esercito Popolare di Liberazione.
Negli anni gli Stati Uniti non rinunciarono mai all’idea di riprendersi la Cina, ma gli Esuli, al contrario, impararono a fare di necessità virtù e, grazie agli aiuti degli americani, cominciarono ad organizzarsi un commercio basato sulla tratta dell’oppio con gli Wa in cambio di armi e cibo.
Gli Esuli furono in grado di creare un esteso mercato di contrabbando dell’oppio, armando molti capi tribù Wa (armi in cambio di oppio) e dando vita ai primi signori della guerra, che Saw Lu non vedeva l’ora di incontrare per provare ad aizzare contro la minaccia cinese.
L’evolversi della situazione portò gli Esuli a lucrare maggiormente trasformando l’oppio in eroina. Una volta trasformata nei loro laboratori nascosti tra la foresta birmana e la Thailandia gli Esuli erano in grado di trasportarla tra le montagne e, con la complicità della polizia thailandese, farla arrivare fino a Bangkok e da lì a tutto il sud est asiatico. E, incredibile a dirsi, in quegli anni il consumatore tipo era il soldato americano: catapultato lì a combattere una guerra assurda, spaesato e con soldi disponibili, i soldati divennero avidi consumatori di eroina. La CIA aveva in pratica collaborato a creare un corridoio per la droga tra le montagne, una sorta di oppiodotto, facendo arricchire e armando i signori della guerra, per arrivare indirettamente a rifornire il suo stesso esercito di eroina. Ma si sa, il comunismo era una preoccupazione maggiore della droga all’epoca.
Solo con la fine della guerra l’America si risvegliò dal suo sonno indotto e tutti si accorsero che i soldati di ritorno dal Vietnam erano tossicodipendenti. Quale motivo migliore per distrarre l’opinione pubblica dalla disfatta del Vietnam? Nixon varò così la cosiddetta Guerra alla Droga, creando la DEA e dando inizio ad una faida interna che avrebbe visto contrapporsi DEA, che voleva porre fine al commercio in toto, e CIA, che invece accettava l’intromissione dell’altra agenzia solo nei confronti dei pesci piccoli, mentre mal tollerava l’interesse verso cartelli molto più importanti, che permettevano un controllo accurato del commercio alla droga e che rappresentavano la rete di informatori nei confronti dei paesi comunisti attorno alla Birmania.
Un saggio che è bellissimo e pazzesco allo stesso tempo, che racconta di un territorio praticamente dimenticato da tutti, ma che in realtà rappresenta un grandissima fetta di mercato nel commercio della droga, che ci fa incontrare personaggi delle volte assurdi, altre invece pieni di patriottismo e fede in un mondo e un popolo che nel tempo non hanno fatto altro che tradire le loro aspettative. Assolutamente da leggere.
L’ho adocchiato in libreria, ne ho letto la trama e l’ho preso subito.
La storia è assolutamente intrigante. Narcotopia narra la saga di un popolo ingideno della Birmania, gli Wa, che per sfuggire alla persecuzione della giunta militare birmana e all’odio/ignorazione pressoché indistinto del resto del mondo, ha sfruttato l’unica risorsa che aveva a disposizione: l’oppio. Diciamo che anche la loro fama di cacciatori di teste e impalatori non ha giovato alla loro popolarità.
Ad ogni modo, è grazie all’eroina e alla metanfetamina che la popolazione degli Wa ha creato un vero e proprio Stato, chiamato UWSA (United Wa State Army). Uno stato autonomo all’interno dei confini della Birmania, con leggi proprie, scuole proprie, ministeri, esercito, tutto quello che serve a mandare avanti un paese. Ovviamente non essendo riconosciuto dalle Nazioni Unite i suoi confini non sono delimitati sulle mappe geografiche. Ma quei territori sono loro, amministrati e governati dai Wa.
Patrick Winn, dopo anni di tentativi, perché nello UWSA si entra solo con la forza o su invito, riesce ad entrare in Birmania. La fortuna lo porta subito ad incontrare Saw Lu: da giovane era un agente del regime militare birmano che, eseguendo gli ordini, doveva infiltrarsi tra i cacciatori di teste e persuaderli a rivolgere il loro odio verso i comunisti cinesi. Questo perché a quei tempi, nel 1966, i cinesi bramavano di soggiogare le tribù indigene della Birmania per convertirle al comunismo.
La sua missione lo portò a diventare uno dei primi signori della guerra Wa, un leader del suo Stato e un prezioso collaboratore della DEA.
Gli scopi della giunta militare birmana collimavano con i suoi stessi interessi. Egli infatti si era prefisso il compito di civilizzare il suo popolo.
La sua missione, però, non era il primo tentativo di riunire le tribù Wa in un grande esercito per contrastare l’avanzata cinese. Qualche anno prima ci avevano già provato Stati Uniti e Kuomintang (il governo amico degli americani sconfitto da Mao Zedong). CIA e Kuomintang avevano ben pensato di far piovere dal cielo casse di armi, munizioni e cibo per armare i ribelli, gli Esuli, coloro che erano stati epurati dal governo cinese come indesiderati e avevano trovato rifugio nella giungla birmana. La loro idea era quella di armarli, riunirli tutti assieme contro la minaccia comunista e successivamente mandarli in Cina per ristabilire il governo del Kuomintang. Inutile specificare che l’idea si rivelò un completo fallimento per gli Esuli, che vennero massacrati dal’Esercito Popolare di Liberazione.
Negli anni gli Stati Uniti non rinunciarono mai all’idea di riprendersi la Cina, ma gli Esuli, al contrario, impararono a fare di necessità virtù e, grazie agli aiuti degli americani, cominciarono ad organizzarsi un commercio basato sulla tratta dell’oppio con gli Wa in cambio di armi e cibo.
Gli Esuli furono in grado di creare un esteso mercato di contrabbando dell’oppio, armando molti capi tribù Wa (armi in cambio di oppio) e dando vita ai primi signori della guerra, che Saw Lu non vedeva l’ora di incontrare per provare ad aizzare contro la minaccia cinese.
L’evolversi della situazione portò gli Esuli a lucrare maggiormente trasformando l’oppio in eroina. Una volta trasformata nei loro laboratori nascosti tra la foresta birmana e la Thailandia gli Esuli erano in grado di trasportarla tra le montagne e, con la complicità della polizia thailandese, farla arrivare fino a Bangkok e da lì a tutto il sud est asiatico. E, incredibile a dirsi, in quegli anni il consumatore tipo era il soldato americano: catapultato lì a combattere una guerra assurda, spaesato e con soldi disponibili, i soldati divennero avidi consumatori di eroina. La CIA aveva in pratica collaborato a creare un corridoio per la droga tra le montagne, una sorta di oppiodotto, facendo arricchire e armando i signori della guerra, per arrivare indirettamente a rifornire il suo stesso esercito di eroina. Ma si sa, il comunismo era una preoccupazione maggiore della droga all’epoca.
Solo con la fine della guerra l’America si risvegliò dal suo sonno indotto e tutti si accorsero che i soldati di ritorno dal Vietnam erano tossicodipendenti. Quale motivo migliore per distrarre l’opinione pubblica dalla disfatta del Vietnam? Nixon varò così la cosiddetta Guerra alla Droga, creando la DEA e dando inizio ad una faida interna che avrebbe visto contrapporsi DEA, che voleva porre fine al commercio in toto, e CIA, che invece accettava l’intromissione dell’altra agenzia solo nei confronti dei pesci piccoli, mentre mal tollerava l’interesse verso cartelli molto più importanti, che permettevano un controllo accurato del commercio alla droga e che rappresentavano la rete di informatori nei confronti dei paesi comunisti attorno alla Birmania.
Un saggio che è bellissimo e pazzesco allo stesso tempo, che racconta di un territorio praticamente dimenticato da tutti, ma che in realtà rappresenta un grandissima fetta di mercato nel commercio della droga, che ci fa incontrare personaggi delle volte assurdi, altre invece pieni di patriottismo e fede in un mondo e un popolo che nel tempo non hanno fatto altro che tradire le loro aspettative. Assolutamente da leggere.
April 29, 2024
This is investigative journalism at its finest. I found this book insightful and learned a lot of new things that enriched my understanding of history, culture, politics and policy making. The main character's personal sacrifice story is wild, too. Overall, it's a book that I highly recommend.
June 11, 2024
A chaotic report of the illegal trade of narcotics in South East Asia with the epicenter of the Wa State. Very detailed reports of events taking place with many names to remember, the book is well written with Patrick (the author) doing excessive and excellent work to deliver a vivid image of the region and events as well as Sino-American diplomatic operations overseas. Must read book for those who are keen on international polices, diplomatic relations and illegal trade.
May 13, 2024
Listened to the audiobook.
This was very well written! I just wish I was more interested in the topic.
This was very well written! I just wish I was more interested in the topic.
June 1, 2025
I love a good deep dive into a subject I was previously completely unaware of.
The drug trade in SE Asia is the quiet start of the American War On Drugs, and yet, is perpetuated by American three letter agencies. Winn does an excellent job in nuanced story-telling - when I first picked this up, I thought it would be the Asian equivalent of Pablo Escobar's story (i.e. drug men bad). Instead, Narcotopia is the story of a nation state's struggle to peacefully end their own opium trade, in exchange for a brighter future for their people. Add this to the pile of history nonfiction books that make me painfully aware of how little I know about other corners of the world.
The drug trade in SE Asia is the quiet start of the American War On Drugs, and yet, is perpetuated by American three letter agencies. Winn does an excellent job in nuanced story-telling - when I first picked this up, I thought it would be the Asian equivalent of Pablo Escobar's story (i.e. drug men bad). Instead, Narcotopia is the story of a nation state's struggle to peacefully end their own opium trade, in exchange for a brighter future for their people. Add this to the pile of history nonfiction books that make me painfully aware of how little I know about other corners of the world.
April 10, 2024
Journalist Patrick Winn takes readers on a fascinating incursion into the murky world of the largest producer of illegal drugs in the world, the little-known Wa State. Unlike most accounts of drug production and trafficking, Narcotopia allows readers to see events from the producers’ point of view.
This is no dry account of illegal activity. Winn puts human faces on the key players on the various sides in the war on drugs in Southeast Asia.
Venturing deep into the remote hills of embattled Burma, he found Saw Lu, the tragic founder of the Wa state, who doubled as an idealistic informant for the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Taking great personal risks, Winn found sources to give him details on the narcotics operation that still today provides a stunning volume of methamphetamines and heroin.
In a triumph of dogged investigative reporting, Winn tracked down the key people in the DEA and the CIA that sadly blundered away a chance to end drug production in the Wa State. Just as impressive, he gets them to tell the story of infighting within the US government that ended up giving the Wa little alternative but to expand their drug industry. This reveals the misunderstandings at the heart of American drug policy. Winn shows how the poverty-stricken Wa were villainized for selling drugs when, with a modest provision of food, hospitals, and schools, they would have been willing to get out of the business.
This blunder is a tragedy for all those who have become addicted to heroin and meth, but at least an equal tragedy for the ethnic minorities of Burma, especially the Wa and the Shan. The American failure to make the deal that could have ended the drug business in Wa State and Shan State left that area with a brutal two-class society: illiterate peasants and underpaid soldiers forced to do the bidding of a drug-dealing elite living in luxurious mansions. The Wa State army now protects not only the narcotics business but an array of brothels, casinos, call-room scams, and illegal online gambling that funnel riches into what is now a well-armed client state of China.
Winn’s self-deprecating and often humorous descriptions of his excursions into Burma provide a fascinating frame-tale for his detailed history of the Wa narcotics business. That history goes back to the efforts of the CIA to destabilize China after the 1949 Communist triumph. The CIA allowed anti-communist Chinese forces in northern Burma and later in Thailand to trade in opium and heroin in return for intelligence and armed incursions (usually disastrous) across the Chinese border. As the anti-communist Chinese grew old and complacent, their places were taken by armed insurgencies among the Wa and Shan people.
Winn describes the complex intrigues among the Wa, Shan, Chinese, DEA, CIA, and US State Department that led to the unintended growth of a “narcotopia” in northeastern Burma. He utilizes recently declassified US government files and in-depth interviews to document the story.
Remarkably, Winn tells this story in the words of the extraordinary characters involved:
• Saw Lu, the Wa idealist who suffered torture and isolation in his effort to end the drug trade and develop the Wa nation as a friend of the United States;
• Wei Xuegang, the cold, calculating genius who developed the trade in opium into a sophisticated global operation with multiple products, modern production capability, well-known branding, and complex logistics;
• Khun Sa, the powerful drug lord and ethnic army commander ultimately out-maneuvered by Wei
• Angelo Saladino, the DEA agent who cultivated Saw Lu as an informant and driver of the plan to end drug production in Wa State
• Rick Horn, the muscular, motorcycle-riding DEA agent who brought the Wa eradication plan to the brink of success
• Bill Young, the former CIA agent in Northern Thailand who helped Saw Lu draft his plan. He was the grandson of the legendary William Marcus Young, who brought Christianity to the Wa.
These are only a few of the colorful characters in Winn’s account. Clearly a talented interviewer, Winn gets his sources to talk about embarrassing failures and internal conflicts. He has a keen ear for telling details like the AK-47 kept in a US embassy safe or the addiction of a drug lord to powdered instant coffee. His trips into Burma allow him to provide lyrical descriptions of the remote hills and the hard-scabble lives of the inhabitants.
As Bangkok correspondent for United Press International in the 1980s and 90s, I covered Burma and the drug trade for many years. I accompanied Thai troops on a raid on Khun Sa’s headquarters that failed to find the Shan leader, and I took a long mule ride to observe Khun Sa’s army, complete with the anti-aircraft missiles that Winn describes. However, there is much in “Narcotopia” that was new to me. The book reveals how close the deal to eradicate Wa drugs came to fruition and shows why it failed.
I have known Patrick for over a decade, so I may be biased. However, I believe he has written an important story and provided a valuable lesson that the US agencies involved should study carefully. I doubt they will.
This is no dry account of illegal activity. Winn puts human faces on the key players on the various sides in the war on drugs in Southeast Asia.
Venturing deep into the remote hills of embattled Burma, he found Saw Lu, the tragic founder of the Wa state, who doubled as an idealistic informant for the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Taking great personal risks, Winn found sources to give him details on the narcotics operation that still today provides a stunning volume of methamphetamines and heroin.
In a triumph of dogged investigative reporting, Winn tracked down the key people in the DEA and the CIA that sadly blundered away a chance to end drug production in the Wa State. Just as impressive, he gets them to tell the story of infighting within the US government that ended up giving the Wa little alternative but to expand their drug industry. This reveals the misunderstandings at the heart of American drug policy. Winn shows how the poverty-stricken Wa were villainized for selling drugs when, with a modest provision of food, hospitals, and schools, they would have been willing to get out of the business.
This blunder is a tragedy for all those who have become addicted to heroin and meth, but at least an equal tragedy for the ethnic minorities of Burma, especially the Wa and the Shan. The American failure to make the deal that could have ended the drug business in Wa State and Shan State left that area with a brutal two-class society: illiterate peasants and underpaid soldiers forced to do the bidding of a drug-dealing elite living in luxurious mansions. The Wa State army now protects not only the narcotics business but an array of brothels, casinos, call-room scams, and illegal online gambling that funnel riches into what is now a well-armed client state of China.
Winn’s self-deprecating and often humorous descriptions of his excursions into Burma provide a fascinating frame-tale for his detailed history of the Wa narcotics business. That history goes back to the efforts of the CIA to destabilize China after the 1949 Communist triumph. The CIA allowed anti-communist Chinese forces in northern Burma and later in Thailand to trade in opium and heroin in return for intelligence and armed incursions (usually disastrous) across the Chinese border. As the anti-communist Chinese grew old and complacent, their places were taken by armed insurgencies among the Wa and Shan people.
Winn describes the complex intrigues among the Wa, Shan, Chinese, DEA, CIA, and US State Department that led to the unintended growth of a “narcotopia” in northeastern Burma. He utilizes recently declassified US government files and in-depth interviews to document the story.
Remarkably, Winn tells this story in the words of the extraordinary characters involved:
• Saw Lu, the Wa idealist who suffered torture and isolation in his effort to end the drug trade and develop the Wa nation as a friend of the United States;
• Wei Xuegang, the cold, calculating genius who developed the trade in opium into a sophisticated global operation with multiple products, modern production capability, well-known branding, and complex logistics;
• Khun Sa, the powerful drug lord and ethnic army commander ultimately out-maneuvered by Wei
• Angelo Saladino, the DEA agent who cultivated Saw Lu as an informant and driver of the plan to end drug production in Wa State
• Rick Horn, the muscular, motorcycle-riding DEA agent who brought the Wa eradication plan to the brink of success
• Bill Young, the former CIA agent in Northern Thailand who helped Saw Lu draft his plan. He was the grandson of the legendary William Marcus Young, who brought Christianity to the Wa.
These are only a few of the colorful characters in Winn’s account. Clearly a talented interviewer, Winn gets his sources to talk about embarrassing failures and internal conflicts. He has a keen ear for telling details like the AK-47 kept in a US embassy safe or the addiction of a drug lord to powdered instant coffee. His trips into Burma allow him to provide lyrical descriptions of the remote hills and the hard-scabble lives of the inhabitants.
As Bangkok correspondent for United Press International in the 1980s and 90s, I covered Burma and the drug trade for many years. I accompanied Thai troops on a raid on Khun Sa’s headquarters that failed to find the Shan leader, and I took a long mule ride to observe Khun Sa’s army, complete with the anti-aircraft missiles that Winn describes. However, there is much in “Narcotopia” that was new to me. The book reveals how close the deal to eradicate Wa drugs came to fruition and shows why it failed.
I have known Patrick for over a decade, so I may be biased. However, I believe he has written an important story and provided a valuable lesson that the US agencies involved should study carefully. I doubt they will.
April 23, 2025
brilliant
October 8, 2024
"Narcotopia" - neologismo che unisce narcotraffico e utopia, visto le mire del popolo Wa - è un reportage giornalistico che ripercorre la storia del popolo Wa, un popolo fra le montagne al confine del Myanmar, con forti istanze indipendentiste, e che negli anni '70-'80 erano il centro della coltivazione ed esportazione dei papaveri dell'oppio e che ora lo sono per le metanfetamine del sud est asiatico. Quella dei Wa è una storia assurda, piena di complessità, che intreccia destini individuali alle mire geopolitiche americane e cinesi. È una storia di ingerenza da parte della CIA, ma anche di scaramuccie interne fra DEA e CIA, ma anche di sogni e ideali fra gli Wa. Insomma, è un reportage giornalistico in cui succede di tutto. E, secondo me, è particolarmente interessante anche il modo in cui Patrick Winn gesiste formalmente la cosa. Winn, infatti, sorretto da una grande accuratezza giornalistica per quanto riguarda il contenuto, sfrutta alcuni espedienti formali del romanzo, in particolare quello crime narcos a la Don Winslow, per capirci, per rendere non soltanto comprensibile e seguibile tutto l'intreccio, ma per renderlo genuinamente appassionante. Utilizza, muovendosi sempre, lo sottolineo, all'interno dell'accuratezza giornalistica, espedienti come cliffhanger e foreshadowing, ma anche la delineazione delle persone quasi come personaggi, descritti efficacemente con poche pennellate caratteristiche. La struttura stessa, con le diverse parti che iniziano con un dialogo fra lui e uno dei protagonisti, richiama la struttura formale romanzesca. Il tutto rende la lettura estremamente piacevole e accattivante. Se in Don Winslow si vede una commistione fra giornalismo e thriller con grande prevalenza del secondo, qua il thriller diventa forma del giornalismo più accurato.
June 1, 2024
Ok I’m intrigued because I’ve never heard of this. I don’t like that he uses Burma instead of Myanmar; I recognize that it’s political but he doesn’t explain why he’s chosen this position and whether he’s done it for safety or some other reason. It’s interesting but I was expecting more. 3.8 stars
February 18, 2024
I absolutely loved this book
October 26, 2024
Narcotopia è un libro sulla storia dello Stato Wa e la storia dello stato Wa è una tragedia, con un’eroe tragico, Saw Lu, al centro delle sue vicende.
Quando per la prima volta ho visto questo libro non nego di essermi interessato per la copertina, come al solito un fantastico lavoro grafico dell’Adelphi, e solo in un secondo momento alla storia in sé. Il soggetto era interessante, ma il prezzo un po’ altino quindi ho lasciato perdere. Qualche giorno dopo però, trovato a metà prezzo usato non ho esitato a comprarlo e gettarmi nella lettura.
Non mi aspettavo sinceramente un libro del genere. Innanzitutto c’è da dire che pur essendo un saggio, molte delle caratteristiche sono quelle di un romanzo, un classico esempio di saggistica narrativa.
Questo libro parla di una storia a noi praticamente sconosciuta, certificato dalla mancanza di grandi fonti (in lingua italiana, inglese o francese) sui protagonisti della vicenda, incluso lo stato Wa in sé. Lo fa partendo dalla testimonianza di Saw Lu, che finisce per essere il protagonista del libro (e non solo poiché fonte principale). La sua è una storia avventurosa e complessa, molto dolorosa, e soprattutto, è la storia di uno sconfitto. È la storia di un uomo dagli ideali e dalla fede incrollabile, ma soprattutto con un sogno, quello di uno Stato Wa indipendente e libero dall’oppio.
Può sembrare strano per chi si avvicina a questo libro, con un titolo che richiama molto i successi mediatici legati alla droga (le serie Narcos su tutte), il fatto che questo sia un libro dove la droga è si protagonista, ma, con una coralità che si applica anche ai vari personaggi, è accostata a vicende geopolitiche e personali, diventando a volte proprio quello che per alcuni Wa vorrebbe essere: qualcosa sullo sfondo, che serve sì a far funzionare tutto, ma che è meglio tenere nascosta.
Sia chiaro, la droga e le attività a lei legate sono padrone di questo libro e le tematiche affrontate da questo libro sono tantissime, ad elencarle tutte ci vorrebbero pagine intere, ma centralissima è anche la descrizione delle modalità di lavoro di CIA e DEA e più in generale della politica estera americana.
Una lettura fondamentale per addentrarsi in una storia che può sembrare lontana, ma che merita assolutamente di essere scoperta.
Quando per la prima volta ho visto questo libro non nego di essermi interessato per la copertina, come al solito un fantastico lavoro grafico dell’Adelphi, e solo in un secondo momento alla storia in sé. Il soggetto era interessante, ma il prezzo un po’ altino quindi ho lasciato perdere. Qualche giorno dopo però, trovato a metà prezzo usato non ho esitato a comprarlo e gettarmi nella lettura.
Non mi aspettavo sinceramente un libro del genere. Innanzitutto c’è da dire che pur essendo un saggio, molte delle caratteristiche sono quelle di un romanzo, un classico esempio di saggistica narrativa.
Questo libro parla di una storia a noi praticamente sconosciuta, certificato dalla mancanza di grandi fonti (in lingua italiana, inglese o francese) sui protagonisti della vicenda, incluso lo stato Wa in sé. Lo fa partendo dalla testimonianza di Saw Lu, che finisce per essere il protagonista del libro (e non solo poiché fonte principale). La sua è una storia avventurosa e complessa, molto dolorosa, e soprattutto, è la storia di uno sconfitto. È la storia di un uomo dagli ideali e dalla fede incrollabile, ma soprattutto con un sogno, quello di uno Stato Wa indipendente e libero dall’oppio.
Può sembrare strano per chi si avvicina a questo libro, con un titolo che richiama molto i successi mediatici legati alla droga (le serie Narcos su tutte), il fatto che questo sia un libro dove la droga è si protagonista, ma, con una coralità che si applica anche ai vari personaggi, è accostata a vicende geopolitiche e personali, diventando a volte proprio quello che per alcuni Wa vorrebbe essere: qualcosa sullo sfondo, che serve sì a far funzionare tutto, ma che è meglio tenere nascosta.
Sia chiaro, la droga e le attività a lei legate sono padrone di questo libro e le tematiche affrontate da questo libro sono tantissime, ad elencarle tutte ci vorrebbero pagine intere, ma centralissima è anche la descrizione delle modalità di lavoro di CIA e DEA e più in generale della politica estera americana.
Una lettura fondamentale per addentrarsi in una storia che può sembrare lontana, ma che merita assolutamente di essere scoperta.
April 7, 2024
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and Icon Books in exchange for an honest review.
This is a really interesting book about a people I had never heard of before. It's a history of a Burmese ethnic group called the Wa, from the 60s to the present as they went from a minor group of tribes to a major narco-state. It covers the activities of headhunters, missionaries, warlords, communists, American government agents and most of all, drug dealers. It quickly becomes clear that most of these people are out for themselves regardless of their ideology.
Although the book initially seems to be a piece of current affairs journalism, the author couldn't get access to the Wa state so most of the book concerns events decades in the past. The one weakness of the book is that the author has to rely on a small handful of people giving their version of events decades later - which did make me wonder how their version of events could be verified.
The book is at its best when focused on the Wa. The question of whether they are a success is left open, they have created their own state in all but name, but it's entirely dependent on China. The wealth of the drug trade is concentrated in the hands of the elite, with little trickling down to the rest of society. The book is less interesting when focusing on the bureaucratic squabbling of US government agencies, this is a very real issue that hampers success, but it's not a very interesting one.
This is a really interesting book about a people I had never heard of before. It's a history of a Burmese ethnic group called the Wa, from the 60s to the present as they went from a minor group of tribes to a major narco-state. It covers the activities of headhunters, missionaries, warlords, communists, American government agents and most of all, drug dealers. It quickly becomes clear that most of these people are out for themselves regardless of their ideology.
Although the book initially seems to be a piece of current affairs journalism, the author couldn't get access to the Wa state so most of the book concerns events decades in the past. The one weakness of the book is that the author has to rely on a small handful of people giving their version of events decades later - which did make me wonder how their version of events could be verified.
The book is at its best when focused on the Wa. The question of whether they are a success is left open, they have created their own state in all but name, but it's entirely dependent on China. The wealth of the drug trade is concentrated in the hands of the elite, with little trickling down to the rest of society. The book is less interesting when focusing on the bureaucratic squabbling of US government agencies, this is a very real issue that hampers success, but it's not a very interesting one.
March 17, 2025
Well researched book about a little known but very powerful drug cartel in southeast Asia. Winn tells the tale of the Wa people, an ethnic group in present day Burma whose fields are ideal for farming poppy - the origin of heroin. The book is set after the end of the British colony rule; Burma is created with a big mix of different ethnic groups; the Wa are fierce some and the ethnic majority ruling Burma leave the Wa alone. The region the Wa control borders China and becomes a hunting ground for the Cold War and heroin plays an outsized role. It is the money maker for the Wa and CIA uses funds from that drug trade to assist Taiwanese to infiltrate China.
Winn highlights the main players in all of this and tells the story through a missionary Wa man who tries to get his Wa people out of the drug business. Ultimately, the entire enterprise is taken over by a shady character who diversifies the Wa heroin into methamphetamines. Still in the drug business and the lives of most of the Wa people are not improved.
I think what I really enjoyed about this book is the truth telling about the inner politics that play out in U.S. Embassies (as I have first hand accounting of this it was fascinating to read it in print!). Also, I knew next to nothing about this region and these ethnic group, so learning about them was very interesting.
I highly recommend for anyone who likes a good non-fiction; the book is well written. Definitely should be required reading if you are going to work in Burma or for the DEA.
Winn highlights the main players in all of this and tells the story through a missionary Wa man who tries to get his Wa people out of the drug business. Ultimately, the entire enterprise is taken over by a shady character who diversifies the Wa heroin into methamphetamines. Still in the drug business and the lives of most of the Wa people are not improved.
I think what I really enjoyed about this book is the truth telling about the inner politics that play out in U.S. Embassies (as I have first hand accounting of this it was fascinating to read it in print!). Also, I knew next to nothing about this region and these ethnic group, so learning about them was very interesting.
I highly recommend for anyone who likes a good non-fiction; the book is well written. Definitely should be required reading if you are going to work in Burma or for the DEA.
December 7, 2024
A book full of fascinating insights, accounts and stories of the UWSA. I appreciate the author’s tone and non-bias towards the US government agencies role in events that took place in Burma/Myanmar.
This book has provided me with new geopolitical perspectives and influences that I intend to keep up with. I’m curious to see the future of this mini-state plays out.
This book has provided me with new geopolitical perspectives and influences that I intend to keep up with. I’m curious to see the future of this mini-state plays out.
October 26, 2024
This book SLAPS and was probably written specifically for me. A book about an esoteric narcostate I’ve never heard of, in the remote and inhospitable mountains bordering China, with an extensive and shadowy history involving the CIA and DEA? Yeahhhhh, sign me up, I’ll take five please.
Only sad thing is that the author never actually gets to go to Wa State - but I’m sure he was just as disappointed by that as we the readers were.
Planning on reading Winn’s first book and any books he writes in the future after this (Wa State Part II?? Please??). Can’t recommend highly enough.
Only sad thing is that the author never actually gets to go to Wa State - but I’m sure he was just as disappointed by that as we the readers were.
Planning on reading Winn’s first book and any books he writes in the future after this (Wa State Part II?? Please??). Can’t recommend highly enough.
March 30, 2025
Libro meraviglioso, sotto diversi punti di vista. Narrativo, analitico, antropologico, storico, giornalistico, geopolitico
November 16, 2024
Patrick Winn does an excellent job with his journalism in this book. I didn’t know much about Burma/Myanmar prior to reading this book, so I learned a lot here.
The book focused extensively on the Wa people, an ethnic minority group in Burma that lives in the highlands of the country. Few outsiders had ventured into Wa territory because it was common practice, and even celebrated as good luck, to kill enemies that would enter the neighborhood. They would even display the heads of their victims after killing them, calling themselves headhunters 😅.
This practice endured for a while, until a man named Saw Lu tried to unite the Wa people by pushing them to stop headhunting. They eventually listened and stopped killing visitors.
His goal was to transition the Wa people from being economically dependent on profiting from opium. He hoped that if they stopped producing opium, the United States would help fund their transition into becoming a democracy. Saw Lu was so hopeful that he became a confidential informant (CI) to the DEA. Together, they created a plan to burn the opium fields. Unfortunately, the FBI planted a spy 🕵️ device in a DEA agents house and sabotaged the whole plan. Craziness!!
Some things that were like 🤯
- The FBI was in alliance with a Wa subgroup that was producing opium. Why’d they form an alliance with them? Because this group agreed to fight off China communism from expanding to Burma and other countries in south east Asia. The heroin that was produced here ended up being bought by our American troops that were serving in Vietnam. It goes without saying that this was a HUGE mistake on the FBI’s part because American soldiers ended up going back home addicted to heroin. The FBI even went so far as helping with the transportation of the opium.
-Unfortunately, the blurring of ethical boundaries didn’t stop there. They also bugged a DEA agents house and sabotaged his plan to get rid of the opium fields. The DEA agent sued and after years of deferred court dates finally received millions of dollars for it. S/o to justice being served ⚖️👩⚖️
The book focused extensively on the Wa people, an ethnic minority group in Burma that lives in the highlands of the country. Few outsiders had ventured into Wa territory because it was common practice, and even celebrated as good luck, to kill enemies that would enter the neighborhood. They would even display the heads of their victims after killing them, calling themselves headhunters 😅.
This practice endured for a while, until a man named Saw Lu tried to unite the Wa people by pushing them to stop headhunting. They eventually listened and stopped killing visitors.
His goal was to transition the Wa people from being economically dependent on profiting from opium. He hoped that if they stopped producing opium, the United States would help fund their transition into becoming a democracy. Saw Lu was so hopeful that he became a confidential informant (CI) to the DEA. Together, they created a plan to burn the opium fields. Unfortunately, the FBI planted a spy 🕵️ device in a DEA agents house and sabotaged the whole plan. Craziness!!
Some things that were like 🤯
- The FBI was in alliance with a Wa subgroup that was producing opium. Why’d they form an alliance with them? Because this group agreed to fight off China communism from expanding to Burma and other countries in south east Asia. The heroin that was produced here ended up being bought by our American troops that were serving in Vietnam. It goes without saying that this was a HUGE mistake on the FBI’s part because American soldiers ended up going back home addicted to heroin. The FBI even went so far as helping with the transportation of the opium.
-Unfortunately, the blurring of ethical boundaries didn’t stop there. They also bugged a DEA agents house and sabotaged his plan to get rid of the opium fields. The DEA agent sued and after years of deferred court dates finally received millions of dollars for it. S/o to justice being served ⚖️👩⚖️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 11, 2024
Read the review in the TLS
November 12, 2024
Fascinating! Superb reporting based on ample insider interviews, thorough archival research, and many visits to the region. The book reads like a novel. It becomes a real page-turner when events move fast. The reader gets to know and sympathize (or not) with the protagonists: Saw Lu, Zao Nyi Lai, Bao Youxiang, Wei Xuegang, and the various DEA and CIA actors, as well as Jacob, the author's local fixer and Saw Lu's son-in-law.
March 15, 2025
Patrick Winn
Narcotopia
Dinamiche complesse dove il potere e il denaro condizionano la cosa giusta da fare ….Compromessi , utopie e tradimenti… corruzione.. violenza e speranza…l'istruzione come base per il miglioramento di un popolo … dove nelle istituzioni però
Tutti avevano lo stesso atteggiamento: prima gli affari, poi l’istruzione».
Un po' saggio un po' Romanzo molto scorrevole che con riferimenti chiari spiega come l'eroina sia dilagata dagli anni 60 70 a come nel 2000 siamo passati alle droghe sintetiche
Tuttavia, l’esperienza dei Wa mostra che gli Stati Uniti non sono poi sempre uniti, né indiscutibilmente una forza del bene. Per lo più, sono solo potenti.
Il narcotraffico era disdicevole, certo, ma nulla era più importante che contenere il comunismo.
Lai, però, non la vedeva in quel modo. Per un ex schiavo nullatenente, l’uguaglianza non era affatto male.
Sebbene l’uno credesse in Mao e l’altro nell’Uomo-Dio, per un’evoluzione convergente arrivavano entrambi alla stessa prescrizione: il rito della caccia alle teste doveva essere abbandonato. Solo nell’unità la tribù sarebbe stata abbastanza forte da sconfiggere i suoi avversari e assicurarsi un futuro radioso.
..da quando la dinastia cinese Qing aveva distrutto mille tonnellate di oppio britannico, centotrenta anni prima.
Narcotopia
Dinamiche complesse dove il potere e il denaro condizionano la cosa giusta da fare ….Compromessi , utopie e tradimenti… corruzione.. violenza e speranza…l'istruzione come base per il miglioramento di un popolo … dove nelle istituzioni però
Tutti avevano lo stesso atteggiamento: prima gli affari, poi l’istruzione».
Un po' saggio un po' Romanzo molto scorrevole che con riferimenti chiari spiega come l'eroina sia dilagata dagli anni 60 70 a come nel 2000 siamo passati alle droghe sintetiche
Tuttavia, l’esperienza dei Wa mostra che gli Stati Uniti non sono poi sempre uniti, né indiscutibilmente una forza del bene. Per lo più, sono solo potenti.
Il narcotraffico era disdicevole, certo, ma nulla era più importante che contenere il comunismo.
Lai, però, non la vedeva in quel modo. Per un ex schiavo nullatenente, l’uguaglianza non era affatto male.
Sebbene l’uno credesse in Mao e l’altro nell’Uomo-Dio, per un’evoluzione convergente arrivavano entrambi alla stessa prescrizione: il rito della caccia alle teste doveva essere abbandonato. Solo nell’unità la tribù sarebbe stata abbastanza forte da sconfiggere i suoi avversari e assicurarsi un futuro radioso.
..da quando la dinastia cinese Qing aveva distrutto mille tonnellate di oppio britannico, centotrenta anni prima.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2024
An excellent recommendation from Ben! Wonderful reporting and storytelling. I didn't know anything about Wa State, and US and Chinese involvement. I loved Winn's approach to documenting the investigative process and his journies in Burma, coupled with stories of Jacob and his father-in-law Saw Lu.
I was in Pu'er and Mengla (near the China-Laos border) back in 2022. Some locals told me how dangerous the China-Burma border off to the west was, and the horrible conditions of the quarantine hotels there during COVID. This provides a little bit of context of these places.
I was in Pu'er and Mengla (near the China-Laos border) back in 2022. Some locals told me how dangerous the China-Burma border off to the west was, and the horrible conditions of the quarantine hotels there during COVID. This provides a little bit of context of these places.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2024
Although I have not read anything before about the Wa State in Myanmar, I feel this book could have been more interesting. The locals are forced to grow poppies or evicted or killed.
That's the only fact I learned from this wordy blustery book.
The author seems to think that the CIA and DEA being corrupt and incompetent is a news flash.
I just found it getting duller and duller. I did finish the book but don't recommend it.
Some other reviews say 'Intriguing" "Couldn't put down" etc.
Nope it put me to sleep several times.
That's the only fact I learned from this wordy blustery book.
The author seems to think that the CIA and DEA being corrupt and incompetent is a news flash.
I just found it getting duller and duller. I did finish the book but don't recommend it.
Some other reviews say 'Intriguing" "Couldn't put down" etc.
Nope it put me to sleep several times.
November 14, 2024
I was just trying to take a break from all the massacres Israel's doing but. This wasn't ...I have no where to file this information.
November 12, 2023
My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher PublicAffairs for an advance copy of this book that looks at the rise of a nation based on producing narcotics, the world's largest drug kingpin, and the man who was their from the beginning and worked to make his nation a better place, and the American involvement that ruined these chances.
The War on Drugs has been a war on truth as much as war on pharmaceutical. Disinformation from marijuana, psychedelics, addiction, and even the people who profit from it. Billions have been spent on propaganda, military equipment, DARE programs, paying people not to grow things, and letting that which is grown to help others. Lives have been ruined or lost, countries held back, people imprisoned, and criminals made leaders and given stipends by our government for their great work. America has also had a problem being a world leader. One one hand we export Elvis, Jesus and Coke-Cola, and act as the world's police force. On the other hand our government has been involved with the worse of the worst, propping up dictators and warlords in the interest of the greater good, ie America. Interagency battles between CIA, DEA and FBI have probably led to more casualties and job loss than any battles with cartels. And yet we still roll on, as states legalize certain drugs, and doctors begin to prescribe psychedelics for depression, or PTSD for soldiers trapped in America's forever wars. Narcotopia: In Search of the Asian Drug Cartel That Survived the CIA by journalist and expert on the narcotics trade in Asia, Patrick Winn has written a book about a small nation state that has become the highest producer of methamphetamines in the world, the warlord that controls the trade, and a brave man, who tried to help his people, and was failed by everyone around him.
The book is a profile of the Wa State, a autonomous state in Burma that borders China, under the control of the Wa people. Known as fierce headhunters at on time, and huge opium producers, the Wa are mostly subjugated by their miliary leaders, who use the area to produce meth, which they send out throughout Asia. The world's most successful drug kingpin lives in a giant mansion/compound Wei Xuegang. Fiercely private, a germaphobe who cooks his own meals in fear of poisoning, Wei Xuegang is probably the most successful drug lord in history. In an attempt to find out more about the nation of Wa, Winn had a case of serendipity. Winn's translator happened to be the son-in-law of an important man in Wa's history, who helped form the nation state, though was not a fan of the drug culture. Saw Lu was a Christian convert, who had spent time among the Wa, as a teacher, a military leader, and finally a high-ranking official, with dreams of making life better for his people. So much so he became a confidential informant for the DEA, sharing information, plans and gossip from inside Wa. But gaining many enemies, some of which Saw Lu could never have seen coming.
Both a history of the Golden Triangle area, the rise and fall of opium production, the conversion offer to meth and the high profits, and profiles of both drug kingpin and a man who wanted to help change his people for the better. Winn tells a very good story, starting in the 50's with CIA involvement in the area, to Saw Lu's work among the Wa, various revolutions, and changes in American policy in the area. Saw Lu is a fascinating man, one who went through incredible hardship and torture trying to help his people, and Winn is fair in portraying him. The history is what is really amazing, and how America on one hand tried to make things better, on the other, made things much worse. Winn has done a very good job in telling this story, and keeping the narrative clear and informative.
One of my favorite nonfiction books this year. There is a lot here, and lots to take in. Winn really does capture the people and the times well, and makes for a fascinating history. History readers will enjoy this, true crime fans will also. However this is much more than a drug story, it really is about a man who tried to make a difference, even after everything went horribly wrong.
The War on Drugs has been a war on truth as much as war on pharmaceutical. Disinformation from marijuana, psychedelics, addiction, and even the people who profit from it. Billions have been spent on propaganda, military equipment, DARE programs, paying people not to grow things, and letting that which is grown to help others. Lives have been ruined or lost, countries held back, people imprisoned, and criminals made leaders and given stipends by our government for their great work. America has also had a problem being a world leader. One one hand we export Elvis, Jesus and Coke-Cola, and act as the world's police force. On the other hand our government has been involved with the worse of the worst, propping up dictators and warlords in the interest of the greater good, ie America. Interagency battles between CIA, DEA and FBI have probably led to more casualties and job loss than any battles with cartels. And yet we still roll on, as states legalize certain drugs, and doctors begin to prescribe psychedelics for depression, or PTSD for soldiers trapped in America's forever wars. Narcotopia: In Search of the Asian Drug Cartel That Survived the CIA by journalist and expert on the narcotics trade in Asia, Patrick Winn has written a book about a small nation state that has become the highest producer of methamphetamines in the world, the warlord that controls the trade, and a brave man, who tried to help his people, and was failed by everyone around him.
The book is a profile of the Wa State, a autonomous state in Burma that borders China, under the control of the Wa people. Known as fierce headhunters at on time, and huge opium producers, the Wa are mostly subjugated by their miliary leaders, who use the area to produce meth, which they send out throughout Asia. The world's most successful drug kingpin lives in a giant mansion/compound Wei Xuegang. Fiercely private, a germaphobe who cooks his own meals in fear of poisoning, Wei Xuegang is probably the most successful drug lord in history. In an attempt to find out more about the nation of Wa, Winn had a case of serendipity. Winn's translator happened to be the son-in-law of an important man in Wa's history, who helped form the nation state, though was not a fan of the drug culture. Saw Lu was a Christian convert, who had spent time among the Wa, as a teacher, a military leader, and finally a high-ranking official, with dreams of making life better for his people. So much so he became a confidential informant for the DEA, sharing information, plans and gossip from inside Wa. But gaining many enemies, some of which Saw Lu could never have seen coming.
Both a history of the Golden Triangle area, the rise and fall of opium production, the conversion offer to meth and the high profits, and profiles of both drug kingpin and a man who wanted to help change his people for the better. Winn tells a very good story, starting in the 50's with CIA involvement in the area, to Saw Lu's work among the Wa, various revolutions, and changes in American policy in the area. Saw Lu is a fascinating man, one who went through incredible hardship and torture trying to help his people, and Winn is fair in portraying him. The history is what is really amazing, and how America on one hand tried to make things better, on the other, made things much worse. Winn has done a very good job in telling this story, and keeping the narrative clear and informative.
One of my favorite nonfiction books this year. There is a lot here, and lots to take in. Winn really does capture the people and the times well, and makes for a fascinating history. History readers will enjoy this, true crime fans will also. However this is much more than a drug story, it really is about a man who tried to make a difference, even after everything went horribly wrong.
February 24, 2024
Reading this book I was reminded, oddly enough, of one of the first things I saw at Mykonos: A t-shirt with the words Mykonos Fucks Ibiza.
That's pretty much what Narcotopia does to Netflix's Narcos and about 90% of the drug-themed shows, books, and films, fictional and non-fictional that you may have come across.
When the Burmese drug mafia showed up in HBO's Barry - an incredibly good show, BTW - while dimly aware of the Golden Triangle, I assumed it was just one of the shows many quirks, like a crime debriefing by the police chief that soon gets hijacked by Akira Kurosawa references.
Narcotopia reveals the genesis and growth of the 'Burmese drug mafia' in terrifying detail. The Wa have traditionally been a warlike tribe of headhunters with opium as their only source of income for centuries - it being one of the few plants that survives in the hostile environment they live in. Narcotopia chronicles how Wa and Wa-adjacent opium has become the bulwark of a narcostate - a country with two separate landmasses nestled within Myanmar that has, at least at the time of the writing of this book, carved an unassailable niche for itself.
If you had a dim view of American interventions in the affairs of other sovereign countries before - I certainly do - this book will have you white hot with rage realising the extent of the role the CIA and other so-called defenders of the American Way have played in truly globalising addiction, unbothered by the 'collateral damage' even in their own home country, but even more so if it was happening elsewhere in the world.
The book is anchored around the narrative of Saw Lu - a man of spectacular determination and bloodymindedness whose rose-tinted view of the United States remains unaffected by massive evidence to the contrary, and in the face of incredible personal hardship including multiple torture sessions that would have quite easily felled a lesser person.
It's also the story of Wei, financial mastermind of the Wa-state who, with a brutal and terrifying efficiency, pivots his crime and drug and empire to ensure its longterm survival.
The ultimate casualty of both these narratives appear to be the Wa people, and of course the populations of Southeast Asia — the market for the enormous quantities of meth produced by the Wa state.
What makes this book truly deserve its 5 stars is just how fantastically it is written.
The decision to built it around the stories of people actively involved with or adjacent to the drug trade instantly raises it head and shoulders above other, more overtly propagandist narratives which have about as much nuance as The Lord of the Rings.
In books like this, there's also typically a lot more research than makes it to the final cut, and it takes an author of immense skill and respect for the reader's time and patience to know when and what to trim, rather than barf out a tiresome regurgitation of facts and statistics.
Narcotopia moves at the terrifying pace of an overloaded truck with a hopped-up on speed driver, trundling its way towards you, down the slopes and hairpin bends of a mountainous road.
This is quite frankly the only book on the drug business you need to read.
That's pretty much what Narcotopia does to Netflix's Narcos and about 90% of the drug-themed shows, books, and films, fictional and non-fictional that you may have come across.
When the Burmese drug mafia showed up in HBO's Barry - an incredibly good show, BTW - while dimly aware of the Golden Triangle, I assumed it was just one of the shows many quirks, like a crime debriefing by the police chief that soon gets hijacked by Akira Kurosawa references.
Narcotopia reveals the genesis and growth of the 'Burmese drug mafia' in terrifying detail. The Wa have traditionally been a warlike tribe of headhunters with opium as their only source of income for centuries - it being one of the few plants that survives in the hostile environment they live in. Narcotopia chronicles how Wa and Wa-adjacent opium has become the bulwark of a narcostate - a country with two separate landmasses nestled within Myanmar that has, at least at the time of the writing of this book, carved an unassailable niche for itself.
If you had a dim view of American interventions in the affairs of other sovereign countries before - I certainly do - this book will have you white hot with rage realising the extent of the role the CIA and other so-called defenders of the American Way have played in truly globalising addiction, unbothered by the 'collateral damage' even in their own home country, but even more so if it was happening elsewhere in the world.
The book is anchored around the narrative of Saw Lu - a man of spectacular determination and bloodymindedness whose rose-tinted view of the United States remains unaffected by massive evidence to the contrary, and in the face of incredible personal hardship including multiple torture sessions that would have quite easily felled a lesser person.
It's also the story of Wei, financial mastermind of the Wa-state who, with a brutal and terrifying efficiency, pivots his crime and drug and empire to ensure its longterm survival.
The ultimate casualty of both these narratives appear to be the Wa people, and of course the populations of Southeast Asia — the market for the enormous quantities of meth produced by the Wa state.
What makes this book truly deserve its 5 stars is just how fantastically it is written.
The decision to built it around the stories of people actively involved with or adjacent to the drug trade instantly raises it head and shoulders above other, more overtly propagandist narratives which have about as much nuance as The Lord of the Rings.
In books like this, there's also typically a lot more research than makes it to the final cut, and it takes an author of immense skill and respect for the reader's time and patience to know when and what to trim, rather than barf out a tiresome regurgitation of facts and statistics.
Narcotopia moves at the terrifying pace of an overloaded truck with a hopped-up on speed driver, trundling its way towards you, down the slopes and hairpin bends of a mountainous road.
This is quite frankly the only book on the drug business you need to read.
August 15, 2024
I've been reading nonfiction seriously for ~ 10 years. I mostly favor books by journalists & lean heavily on recommendations from NPR. Now that I've read at least 50 nonfiction works, I like to see how the author deals with entertainment vs. education. This book goes heavily on both. The pattern of characters, plot and action rivals a James Patterson novel. Winn uses cliffhangers, sudden reversals, riveting dialogue & sensation. It's a real page-turner. But you also learn about Burma, a specific ethnic group (the Wa), feuding between the DEA and CIA that you almost wish you didn't know. Winn lets you know that when the heroin trade in Burma was growing itself, its first expanded market was American GIs in Viet Nam. The book traces from Burma's stranglehold on the heroin market to its sudden shift to producing meth, and why this was an excellent business move.
Along with the entertainment/education consideration, there is (in "journalistic" nonfiction) the issue of credibility. Winn says that a figure he "heard" about the prevalence of heroin use among GIs in Viet Nam was that 1 in 5 troops has used it. No documentation. I guess the purpose of including this piece of hearsay was to disturb the reader? But if the reader doubts the figure then the author loses credibility which throws the whole story into question. On the whole, Winn maintains his credibility.
The thing I enjoyed most about the book was some of the characters, especially the main character. He was a hero in a failed quest. Of course, the journalist is also a character, and how he develops his own character is, I'd say, another criteria for judging the book. Winn lets you know (subtly) that he risks his life to get you the story. Of course, by being nosy, he also risks other people's lives, a perpetual dilemma of journalists. How the journalist/character handles ethics, or says he does, is important. The Winn character walks the line between being considerate and being nosy. The author does not tell you how he does overall with info gathering, for if he said he mostly didn't score, he would undermine his book. The author also makes sure the journalist/character is seen as practically family to his sources as well as sympathetic to the reader. If he lied to anyone or used shady means to get through obstacles or get access, we're not going to hear about it.
The journalist/character's later, overt point of view, where he takes a shot at American policy here and there or badmouths illicit drugs, had me cheering. I wonder why I was so ok with him dropping all objectivity. Especially since he tries on the point of view that the Wa's heroin business is ok as long as it buys schools, hospitals, etc.
Finally, I give the book a good grade because the fictional elements I mention above are well done, and because the book is educational. It's educational historically, culturally and politically. It raises ethical questions about illicit drugs. And the author leaves you feeling that the project was worthwhile and the way the author handled it was credible.
Along with the entertainment/education consideration, there is (in "journalistic" nonfiction) the issue of credibility. Winn says that a figure he "heard" about the prevalence of heroin use among GIs in Viet Nam was that 1 in 5 troops has used it. No documentation. I guess the purpose of including this piece of hearsay was to disturb the reader? But if the reader doubts the figure then the author loses credibility which throws the whole story into question. On the whole, Winn maintains his credibility.
The thing I enjoyed most about the book was some of the characters, especially the main character. He was a hero in a failed quest. Of course, the journalist is also a character, and how he develops his own character is, I'd say, another criteria for judging the book. Winn lets you know (subtly) that he risks his life to get you the story. Of course, by being nosy, he also risks other people's lives, a perpetual dilemma of journalists. How the journalist/character handles ethics, or says he does, is important. The Winn character walks the line between being considerate and being nosy. The author does not tell you how he does overall with info gathering, for if he said he mostly didn't score, he would undermine his book. The author also makes sure the journalist/character is seen as practically family to his sources as well as sympathetic to the reader. If he lied to anyone or used shady means to get through obstacles or get access, we're not going to hear about it.
The journalist/character's later, overt point of view, where he takes a shot at American policy here and there or badmouths illicit drugs, had me cheering. I wonder why I was so ok with him dropping all objectivity. Especially since he tries on the point of view that the Wa's heroin business is ok as long as it buys schools, hospitals, etc.
Finally, I give the book a good grade because the fictional elements I mention above are well done, and because the book is educational. It's educational historically, culturally and politically. It raises ethical questions about illicit drugs. And the author leaves you feeling that the project was worthwhile and the way the author handled it was credible.
November 7, 2024
I've been fascinated by Wa State for years, but I've found very few good English-language sources covering its story. I was thrilled when I happened across this book, and Patrick Winn does not disappoint. Narcotopia draws on primary sources and original research to present an in-depth, engaging, and witty telling of the story of Wa State, and it is an incredible story.
This book is so dramatic it's sometimes hard to believe that it's nonfiction. It's a story that features a dizzying array of revolutionaries, spies, drug kingpins, warlords, bureaucrats, and generals. There are tragic heroes, bloody battles, unlikely alliances, and bitter betrayals. All this happens while in the periphery, a bureaucratic clown show between the DEA and the CIA unfolds as the two American federal agencies fight for their conflicting interests on Burmese soil. It's an incredible read, a real-world thriller spanning nearly a century of human history, in a corner of world few Americans have even heard of.
In fact, it's almost too dramatic; and while I don't doubt the authenticity of Winn's impressive scope of research, it is a story that largely revolves one source. The idealistic, Western-minded Wa ex-warlord, Saw Lu. The story begins with his incursion into the Wa highlands and ends with his death; he is the primary source for much of the book. From this perspective, we can see large gaps in the history of the Wa people.
Despite some omissions, I loved this book, and I highly, highly recommend it. An incredibly addicting and well-written book.
This book is so dramatic it's sometimes hard to believe that it's nonfiction. It's a story that features a dizzying array of revolutionaries, spies, drug kingpins, warlords, bureaucrats, and generals. There are tragic heroes, bloody battles, unlikely alliances, and bitter betrayals. All this happens while in the periphery, a bureaucratic clown show between the DEA and the CIA unfolds as the two American federal agencies fight for their conflicting interests on Burmese soil. It's an incredible read, a real-world thriller spanning nearly a century of human history, in a corner of world few Americans have even heard of.
In fact, it's almost too dramatic; and while I don't doubt the authenticity of Winn's impressive scope of research, it is a story that largely revolves one source. The idealistic, Western-minded Wa ex-warlord, Saw Lu. The story begins with his incursion into the Wa highlands and ends with his death; he is the primary source for much of the book. From this perspective, we can see large gaps in the history of the Wa people.
Despite some omissions, I loved this book, and I highly, highly recommend it. An incredibly addicting and well-written book.
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