Journalist Patrick Winn Discusses His Book 'Narcotopia' [S7.E36]

Greg welcomes back Patrick Winn to the podcast, an intrepid
writer and expert on all things dark and shady in Southeast Asia.
He previously appeared on the show to discuss his book "Hello
Shadowlands," and he returns to explain his new work,
"Narcotopia: In Search of the Asian Drug Cartel That Survived The
CIA." Patrick begins by explaining the unique political situation
that the country of Myanmar is in right now. Besides a literal
civil war, portions of the country, such as the 'Wa State' in the
northeast, are essentially autonomous, self-governing areas.
Patrick explains that free travel in and out of the area is
generally not permitted, and if you just showed up, you would be
detained and interrogated by the Wa State Army. 


Next, Greg asked the genesis of Patrick's new book. Patrick
explains that he's been fascinated by the 'state within a state'
for over a decade and has struggled to find an opportunity to
interview any important Wa leaders, due to the fact that the Wa
State is notorious for being a manufacturer of methamphetamine
pills. In fact, some prominent Wa leaders are actually wanted by
the U.S. DEA. Patrick recounts a fascinating story of how he
managed through an intermediary to finally make contact, and the
resulting interview and subsequent research constitutes the
backbone of his book. 


The guys continue with a twisting tale of the DEA and CIA's
surprising relationship with this mysterious subculture inside of
the already complex state of Myanmar, and the effect its having
on Thailand's middle class, which is a huge consumer of the
infamous drugs that the country produces.


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