Front Burner

The alleged Canadian drug lord who upended the meth trade

Front Burner dives into the shady world of organized crime to cover the arrest of an accused Chinese-Canadian meth kingpin who’s been called Asia’s El Chapo.
Dutch police said they had arrested Tse Chi Lop, a Chinese-born Canadian national who is the alleged leader of a multibillion-dollar drug syndicate, at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. (Reuters)

Following a massive international investigation led by Australia, an alleged meth kingpin was arrested by Dutch authorities at an Amsterdam airport.

Chinese-Canadian Tse Chi Lop is accused of running a syndicate that commands the $70 billion-a-year Asia-Pacific drug trade. He's been compared to Pablo Escobar and called Asia's El Chapo.

Today, we hear from Reuters chief correspondent in Southeast Asia, Tom Allard. He's been a leading reporter on the story and he's here to explain how Tse has allegedly revolutionized and dominated the underground industry.

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