The Wa: the world’s biggest drug-dealers, with a tiny profile
A new book looks at how the narco-state has flourished
Many drug cartels share similar starts. Hard-up farmers in remote villages grow illicit cash crops (coca plants and opium poppies can be cultivated even in poor soil). Local criminals muscle in. Trafficking syndicates spring up to ship the processed narcotics to the rich world. As profits rise, the cartel has to fight off competition. It bribes and threatens officials to ignore its activities.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Big drug-dealers, small profile”
Culture February 17th 2024
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- On “A Wonderful Country”, Israelis joke their way through trauma
- The Wa: the world’s biggest drug-dealers, with a tiny profile
- From Napoleon to Vladimir Putin, disease has shaped history
- The real message of Vladimir Putin’s chat with Tucker Carlson
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