Not all drug barons are South American. One who managed to stay largely out of the limelight while he built a global empire was southern Chinese-born Tse Chi Lop who was arrested in Amsterdam earlier this year after building a $60 billion empire.
Discovery is to launch documentary feature “The World’s Biggest Druglord – Tse Chi Lop” from Nov 14. The show will play on the Discovery Plus streaming service, as well as on Discovery’s linear channels in South East Asia, Taiwan and Japan on Nov. 14, Discovery Channel in Australia on Nov. 15, and on Three in New Zealand on Nov. 16.
“The World’s Biggest Druglord” is produced by IFA Media and Discovery, Inc. It was executive produced by Dean Johnson and Mike Welsh for IFA, and by Lynn Ng for Discovery. The show’s supervising producer is Ishaan Misra.
Dubbed Asia’s ‘El Chapo,’ Tse is alleged to have built the largest drug trafficking operation in history, that stretched from drug factories in the Golden Triangle of Southeast Asia to involve the Italian mafia, Yakuza in Japan and motorcycle gangs in the U.S. His capture, as he attempted to fly from Amsterdam to Taiwan, required the cooperation of more than twenty government agencies and was coordinated by the Australian Federal Police.
The show, similarly includes commentary from law enforcement personnel from U.S. (the FBI and DEA), Canada, Australia and Thailand, as well as insight from Harvard professor Laura Huang. It attempts to unpick Tse’s character to reveal his business insights and entrepreneurial strategies, and how his business evolved along with shifting consumer demand, to the point that he controlled a global enterprise.
“This special is the latest in a growing slate of originals that will air globally across Discovery’s platforms,” said Ng. “This untold story gives viewers a rare inside look into the depths of a mastermind whose actions continue to be felt worldwide.”