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Episode 2

Episode 2 of 5

Mexican Chinese traffickers cash in on America's illegal opium market and the mountain farmers of the Sierra Madre begin to find a way out of poverty.

Written by Ioan Grillo.

Mexican Chinese traffickers cash in on America's illegal opium market and the mountain farmers of the Sierra Madre begin to find a way out of poverty.

As a teenager in Brighton the author witnessed the rise of drug use in 1980s Britain. He also knew four young men who died of heroin overdoses. Twelve years ago he arrived in Mexico with ambitions to be 'a foreign correspondent in exotic climes'. But the most compelling story that demanded attention was the extraordinary and terrifying power of the drug cartels and the violent world of 'El Narco'.

Read by Rupert Degas

Abridged and produced by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4.

15 minutes

Last on

Wed 18 Jan 2012 00:30

Broadcasts

  • Tue 17 Jan 2012 09:45
  • Wed 18 Jan 2012 00:30

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