The Golden Triangle: Inside Southeast Asia's Drug Trade

The Golden Triangle: A Comprehensive Guide to Drug Production, Use, Trade, and Enforcement in Southeast Asia's Most Notorious Region. This book provides a detailed account of drug production, use, trade, and enforcement in the Golden Triangle region, which includes Burma, Thailand, and Laos.

The author, Ko-lin Chin, conducted over 500 face-to-face interviews with key informants in the region, including poppy growers, drug dealers, armed group leaders, law enforcement officials, and other stakeholders. The book offers a richly detailed portrait of a region in constant transition, where political development is closely linked to the vagaries of the global market in illicit drugs.

Chin sheds light on the nature of opium growing, heroin and methamphetamine production, drug sales, and drug use, as well as how government officials view themselves as responsible for local economic development. The Golden Triangle provides a unique and comprehensive understanding of this complex region, making it an essential read for anyone interested in the global drug trade and its impact on Southeast Asia.