1 00:00:01,080 --> 00:00:04,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you should know from house Stuff Works 2 00:00:04,559 --> 00:00:13,039 Speaker 1: dot com. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh 3 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:18,840 Speaker 1: Clark with me as always as Charles W. Zonkers Bryant's Yeah, 4 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:21,600 Speaker 1: I'm always. I just sit here with wondering what you're 5 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:25,360 Speaker 1: gonna call me. How's it going? Great, sir? You pretty good? 6 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:27,520 Speaker 1: You look good. You're as good as you were ten 7 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: minutes ago when he recorded that other podcast, Shack. Have 8 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 1: you ever been to Mexico? I have been to Mexico. 9 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:35,720 Speaker 1: Have you been to t J. I've been to t J. 10 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:38,640 Speaker 1: You've been to Warez. No, just t J and like 11 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:42,320 Speaker 1: the Baja area. Okay, Well, had you gone a little 12 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:46,800 Speaker 1: further east along the border to Warez, you would have 13 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:51,040 Speaker 1: been in a narco state. Yes. And you know what 14 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:52,800 Speaker 1: I'm ashamed to say, Josh, that I did not know 15 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:55,640 Speaker 1: what anarco state was. Really. I've heard of it, but 16 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:58,080 Speaker 1: I didn't really know what it was. I can't remember 17 00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:00,120 Speaker 1: if I pitched this win or if Channel did, but 18 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: it's a well done. Thank you very much, thank you. Yeah. Um, well, 19 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 1: Chuck and I are talking about narco states. As you 20 00:01:07,920 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 1: probably were tipped off by the title of this podcast, 21 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:12,960 Speaker 1: and for those of you who don't know what a 22 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:17,120 Speaker 1: narco state it is, uh, Josh, I'm just gonna give 23 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 1: my own definition, which is, it is a country where 24 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:25,440 Speaker 1: they sort of allow drug trafficking and in some cases 25 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:29,320 Speaker 1: even participate in the drug trafficking. Yeah. And it's it's 26 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:34,400 Speaker 1: very very rarely an entire country. Um. Most of the time. 27 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 1: It's like a region of country, very small area city. 28 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:41,800 Speaker 1: Although there are cases where there have been narco states, 29 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 1: like fully functioning countries that are run by drugs, like 30 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 1: the their gross domestic product is almost fully funded by drugs. 31 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 1: The government's in on it, military is in on it. Um. 32 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:56,440 Speaker 1: And right now, as far as I could tell, there's 33 00:01:56,440 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 1: only one functioning narco state in the world. Afghanistan. No, 34 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:05,160 Speaker 1: it's close though, uh Guinea bissauth Oh yeah sure. In Africa, yeah, 35 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 1: West of Africa. I can't wait to tell that story. 36 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:10,680 Speaker 1: It's a good one. So okay. So, narco state, as 37 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:14,960 Speaker 1: Chuck said, is basically any area where the government is 38 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 1: either directly involved or turning a blind eye to drug trafficking. Yes, 39 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 1: in the Central Mexico, Central America. South America always known 40 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:27,360 Speaker 1: as being rife with this kind of thing because chances 41 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:30,119 Speaker 1: are if you're doing drugs in the US, chances are 42 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 1: it did not come from inside the United States. No, 43 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:36,119 Speaker 1: unless it was meth or pot. Yeah, and even then, 44 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:39,080 Speaker 1: chances are it probably didn't, although there was a lot 45 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:42,360 Speaker 1: of domestic uh meth labs and and pot farms and 46 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:45,000 Speaker 1: stuff like that. Yeah, but yeah, the chances are it 47 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:48,799 Speaker 1: came through Mexico if not from Mexico. Mexico didn't used 48 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:51,800 Speaker 1: to be nearly as violent, you know. Warez, which we 49 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:55,080 Speaker 1: were talking about, Um had I think three hundred murders 50 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:57,960 Speaker 1: in two thousand seven, and then all of a sudden 51 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:01,200 Speaker 1: there was a drug war started. It's still going on now. 52 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:04,400 Speaker 1: And in two thousand and eight they had murders. Yeah, 53 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 1: that's a heck of a stat Yeah. Yeah, Detroit had 54 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:10,080 Speaker 1: like less than three hundred murders in two thousand seven. 55 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 1: To Detroit, safer than someplace. It's just safer than Warrez, 56 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:16,760 Speaker 1: believe it or not. Well, thank god for that. I 57 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 1: didn't get the stats on Tempi though, so I can't say. Yeah. So, um. 58 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:24,320 Speaker 1: One of the reasons why uh, And we'll see that 59 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: American intervention, one way or another, uh usually has an 60 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:30,480 Speaker 1: impact on the formation of anarcho state. But one of 61 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:33,519 Speaker 1: the reasons why Warez and some of the other border 62 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 1: towns along Mexico have turned into narco states, uh, is 63 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: because the Coast Guard in the d e A effectively 64 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 1: shut down the Caribbean in the nineties. That was the 65 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 1: main route from um South America to the US for coke. 66 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:53,240 Speaker 1: And Americans love coke. A lot of the world does. 67 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:55,640 Speaker 1: And one thing that I learned from reading this article 68 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:58,280 Speaker 1: and just by living as a human in the world 69 00:03:58,480 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 1: is that drugs will find a way to get into 70 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:04,080 Speaker 1: the country. They definitely will. Like for example, when the 71 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 1: crib Dow was shut down, they started moving in through 72 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:09,840 Speaker 1: Central American came another run way or another. And the 73 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:13,320 Speaker 1: reason why is um. Well, like I said, Americans love cocaine. 74 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:16,599 Speaker 1: We consume of the global supply of it every year. 75 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:20,120 Speaker 1: Europe does a lot of cocaine. Loves the junk too. 76 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 1: Oh No, Europe is the heroine. Yeah, they have eleven 77 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 1: percent of the global population in Europe, but they have 78 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:31,800 Speaker 1: one third of the world's heroin addict big deal. Yeah, 79 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:33,640 Speaker 1: it's weird how it's localized like that. It is, but 80 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:35,720 Speaker 1: think about it. I think about how much closer Europe 81 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:38,600 Speaker 1: is to the heroin producing countries of the South Asia, 82 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:41,359 Speaker 1: and think about how close we are to the cocaine 83 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:44,800 Speaker 1: producing countries of South America, which affects the price. Of 84 00:04:44,839 --> 00:04:47,200 Speaker 1: course it definitely does. Um, you want to give them 85 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:51,400 Speaker 1: that stat josh, a kilogram of uncut cocaine, as you 86 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:56,400 Speaker 1: hear on the cop shows, as it goes for dollars, 87 00:04:56,440 --> 00:04:59,839 Speaker 1: that same kilo fetches uh about a hundred and twenty 88 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:03,479 Speaker 1: thousand dollars in Moscow. That's a big markup. It's a 89 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 1: huge markup. Is that street value as they call it. 90 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:07,919 Speaker 1: And I'm sure those are way off. I'm sure you 91 00:05:07,920 --> 00:05:09,880 Speaker 1: could get a kilo for a lot less or pay 92 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:13,599 Speaker 1: or whatever. But um, one of the things that FEDS 93 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 1: like to do is pump up their numbers so that 94 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:20,040 Speaker 1: they can get more funding. But yeah, you can definitely 95 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:22,480 Speaker 1: get a kilo of cocaine in America a lot cheaper 96 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: than you can, um in Russia. In Russia. Yeah yeah, 97 00:05:26,279 --> 00:05:29,360 Speaker 1: so chuck um, all of that, all of those kilos 98 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:32,560 Speaker 1: add up pretty quickly. And the drug trade, the global 99 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:37,279 Speaker 1: drug trade, UM makes an estimated three hundred billion dollars 100 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:40,279 Speaker 1: a year. That's nuts. That is a lot of casts. 101 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:42,240 Speaker 1: You could bail out two A I G S for that. 102 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:46,240 Speaker 1: So Chuck, we talked about, um, the narco state being 103 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:49,320 Speaker 1: a an area where government's either looking the other way, 104 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:52,400 Speaker 1: or selling drugs directly or helping them out, maybe just 105 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:55,880 Speaker 1: hating them. Um, there's a big problem with this, I 106 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:58,080 Speaker 1: would say so, but well, I mean you just think 107 00:05:58,080 --> 00:05:59,880 Speaker 1: about it. You're like, oh, the government's not supposed to 108 00:05:59,880 --> 00:06:03,160 Speaker 1: do that. To stop and think why why that? Why 109 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:05,480 Speaker 1: the government's not supposed to do that? Yeah, Well, because 110 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:08,120 Speaker 1: they're supposed to protect their citizens. Yeah. There's something that 111 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:11,680 Speaker 1: um Thomas Hobbs called the social contract, right, and basically 112 00:06:11,760 --> 00:06:13,800 Speaker 1: it said, like in exchange for certain freedoms, like we 113 00:06:13,839 --> 00:06:16,560 Speaker 1: can't just do anything we want to write that we 114 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:18,640 Speaker 1: give to the government, We're going to give that power 115 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:21,160 Speaker 1: to the government. One of those things is the state violence, 116 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:25,000 Speaker 1: the state monopoly on violence, where like the government can 117 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:28,760 Speaker 1: put you in jail, the government can um kill you, 118 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:31,320 Speaker 1: execute you. But the government is supposed to be the 119 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:33,240 Speaker 1: only one who does that. So if somebody, you know, 120 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:36,000 Speaker 1: shoot your kid, you don't go shoot them in the head. 121 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:38,240 Speaker 1: You get the government to go after this guy and 122 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:40,719 Speaker 1: incarce rate or kill him. Right. Yeah, And in the 123 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:43,000 Speaker 1: civilized world. The social contract is kind of how we 124 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:46,559 Speaker 1: developed as nations of the world, and it works pretty 125 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:48,680 Speaker 1: well for the most part. We'll say, I mean, that's 126 00:06:48,680 --> 00:06:51,279 Speaker 1: a whole other podcast right there. But in Narco States, 127 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:53,200 Speaker 1: it's a little different because that's a little bit of 128 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:56,280 Speaker 1: a sham. They kind of have that contract as long 129 00:06:56,320 --> 00:06:58,599 Speaker 1: as it doesn't interfere with the drug trade. Right, the 130 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:03,800 Speaker 1: government's given it's uh, it's power to drug traffickers at 131 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:06,279 Speaker 1: the expense of the people they're supposed to be protecting 132 00:07:06,279 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 1: and representing. So that's number one. Yeah, right, So how 133 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:13,880 Speaker 1: does this happen? Right? Well, one reason why that might happen. 134 00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:16,240 Speaker 1: There's a bunch of different ways that could happen, but 135 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:20,760 Speaker 1: one reason is if, um, let's say you're in Colombia 136 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:23,560 Speaker 1: and all of a sudden, you've heard the term Columbian 137 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:26,440 Speaker 1: necktie I have. Yeah, all of a sudden, your judges 138 00:07:26,560 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 1: in your council people, and your and your politicians are 139 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:34,760 Speaker 1: getting knife and executed in back alleys by the dozens. 140 00:07:34,760 --> 00:07:37,360 Speaker 1: All of a sudden, the government might say, wait a minute, 141 00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:40,640 Speaker 1: we might want to not go after these drug traffickers, right, 142 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:43,360 Speaker 1: because if the state is doesn't have a monopoly on 143 00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:46,760 Speaker 1: violence any longer. If you know paramilitary groups affiliated with 144 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:50,480 Speaker 1: drug traffickers do yeah, then yeah. Apparently in Colombia they 145 00:07:50,720 --> 00:07:54,200 Speaker 1: came at the justice building with tanks. Yeah. This wasn't 146 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:57,680 Speaker 1: the military, this was a rebel faction. Yeah. I think 147 00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 1: it was FARK that did it, right, Josh FARK. That 148 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:02,840 Speaker 1: is f a r C. That stands for the Revolutionary 149 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:07,560 Speaker 1: Armed Forces of Columbia translated into English. Uh. And they're 150 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:13,360 Speaker 1: actually a communist guerrilla group, they are. And um, they 151 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:18,640 Speaker 1: actually got into drug trafficking in the eighties, I think. Um. 152 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:22,160 Speaker 1: So okay, So you have a huge armed guerrilla army 153 00:08:22,280 --> 00:08:27,440 Speaker 1: attacking your justice department in the country's capital. That's a 154 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:30,000 Speaker 1: good way to get a narco state started, right. Sometimes 155 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:33,199 Speaker 1: you're bribed into it. That's another one too. All of 156 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:36,160 Speaker 1: a sudden, if your coffers are being filled, a lot 157 00:08:36,160 --> 00:08:38,840 Speaker 1: of politicians are willing to look the other way. Um. 158 00:08:38,920 --> 00:08:45,640 Speaker 1: And also, if your intelligence services become compromised by drug traffickers, 159 00:08:45,679 --> 00:08:48,240 Speaker 1: you're in big trouble. Those are corrupted, you're finished. Yeah, 160 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:51,280 Speaker 1: Because the intelligence services are usually toward the top of 161 00:08:51,280 --> 00:08:54,760 Speaker 1: the military hierarchy, and if they're corrupted, they can turn 162 00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:59,120 Speaker 1: the entire military against you know, the government, which there 163 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:04,160 Speaker 1: is a division. Um, and after that happens again, you're 164 00:09:04,160 --> 00:09:06,800 Speaker 1: in big trouble. In a narco state conform yeah, plus state. 165 00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:10,800 Speaker 1: They know a lot about smuggling, the intelligence community, and 166 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:12,760 Speaker 1: if all of a sudden they're on your side, then 167 00:09:12,800 --> 00:09:15,560 Speaker 1: all of a sudden, you know a lot about smuggling, right, Yeah, 168 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:18,000 Speaker 1: it's it's uh. You have to know how to get 169 00:09:18,080 --> 00:09:20,760 Speaker 1: people or arms or something in and out of countries 170 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:23,600 Speaker 1: without being detected. So you know where all the airfields are, 171 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:25,920 Speaker 1: you have access to planes and boats and stuff. You 172 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:28,200 Speaker 1: just start throwing kila's a coke in there, and all 173 00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:31,760 Speaker 1: of a sudden, you're a drug smuggler. Yeah. Um. And 174 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:33,440 Speaker 1: it's kind of tough for us to think about this 175 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:36,520 Speaker 1: in the United States because we've had a pretty stable 176 00:09:36,640 --> 00:09:40,600 Speaker 1: government for the last couple of hundred years. But uh, 177 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:43,959 Speaker 1: in in areas in countries where there's been high government 178 00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:49,719 Speaker 1: turnover and lots of internal conflict. Um, let's say, infrastructure 179 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:53,600 Speaker 1: like roads, bridges, water, electricity, these things have been cut 180 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:56,560 Speaker 1: throughout these civil wars and the government's too poor to 181 00:09:56,880 --> 00:10:00,320 Speaker 1: fix them. All of a sudden, the government's delegitimized. And 182 00:10:00,880 --> 00:10:04,880 Speaker 1: another like a rebel faction can step in and say, hey, 183 00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:08,160 Speaker 1: we're taken over. And by the way, we love drug traffic. 184 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:41,319 Speaker 1: I got a couple of stats for you along those lines. 185 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:46,160 Speaker 1: Guatemala endured a thirty six year long civil war, El 186 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:49,720 Speaker 1: Salvador in a twelve year long civil war. In Nicaragua 187 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:52,440 Speaker 1: had one that lasted nineteen years. And so what this 188 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:56,720 Speaker 1: means is it's a very unstable region, easily swayed by 189 00:10:56,880 --> 00:11:00,240 Speaker 1: whoever has the power, drug traffickers or the government. And 190 00:11:00,280 --> 00:11:03,560 Speaker 1: it also means there's a lot of guns, yeah, and 191 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:06,880 Speaker 1: a lot of former veterans that are out of work, 192 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:09,760 Speaker 1: but you know how to use those guns and can 193 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:11,839 Speaker 1: serve as a guerrilla army. Yeah. And a lot of 194 00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:13,920 Speaker 1: times these are poor countries too. So in fact, I 195 00:11:13,960 --> 00:11:16,880 Speaker 1: would say almost every time, it's a poor country, and 196 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:18,880 Speaker 1: it's it's you don't have to be genius to figure 197 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:21,800 Speaker 1: out you got guns, you got these former military guys, 198 00:11:21,840 --> 00:11:24,160 Speaker 1: you've got really poor people, and you have loads of drugs. 199 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:26,480 Speaker 1: It's worth a lot of money. It's really not too 200 00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:29,360 Speaker 1: hard to devolve into a narco state. No, it's not. Uh, 201 00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:33,320 Speaker 1: And of course the root of all narco states is money. Either, 202 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:37,319 Speaker 1: like Chuck said, bribes that kind of thing. Or Um, 203 00:11:37,440 --> 00:11:41,880 Speaker 1: the GDP Afghanistan. Um, Apparently their g d P is 204 00:11:41,920 --> 00:11:45,880 Speaker 1: like six billion annually, which what's the United States that 205 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:49,520 Speaker 1: think has fourteen trillion GDP something like that. Um, So 206 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:51,520 Speaker 1: it's kind of like, holy cow, how do you live 207 00:11:51,559 --> 00:11:54,480 Speaker 1: like that? They've been doing pretty good, but half of 208 00:11:54,520 --> 00:11:59,720 Speaker 1: that has been through Heroin So cars I how may 209 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:02,920 Speaker 1: car I who was Um, I'm gonna make air quotes 210 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:09,079 Speaker 1: elected president of Afghanistan twice and made air quotes again. Yeah, 211 00:12:09,640 --> 00:12:14,319 Speaker 1: re elected. Um. He has is well known for turning 212 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:15,880 Speaker 1: a blind eye while saying we need to get rid 213 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:19,000 Speaker 1: of these poppies. Um. And the US is like, okay, 214 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:20,480 Speaker 1: well let us spray and he's like, no, no, we 215 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:23,480 Speaker 1: have to do it all by hand. Um. And apparently 216 00:12:23,559 --> 00:12:29,160 Speaker 1: the American forces over there, um I have to well, 217 00:12:29,200 --> 00:12:31,640 Speaker 1: the d e as over there as well, but the 218 00:12:31,679 --> 00:12:36,199 Speaker 1: American commanders of the armed forces in Afghanistan don't let 219 00:12:36,200 --> 00:12:38,640 Speaker 1: the d e A in at all, and they're frustrated 220 00:12:38,679 --> 00:12:42,280 Speaker 1: pulling their hair out because they're not getting any support whatsoever. 221 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:46,000 Speaker 1: And it's kind of one of those things like everybody 222 00:12:46,040 --> 00:12:48,600 Speaker 1: knows that Afghanistan produces poppies. As a matter of fact, 223 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:54,760 Speaker 1: in two thousand and six they produced the highest poppy 224 00:12:54,800 --> 00:12:58,360 Speaker 1: harvest in recorded human history just a couple of years ago. 225 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:01,320 Speaker 1: It was double what it had been the year before. 226 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:05,680 Speaker 1: So clearly they're not pulling enough by hand. No, because cars, 227 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:07,920 Speaker 1: I won't let them spray overhead. Yeah, which is I 228 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:10,600 Speaker 1: should explain that that's a common method to uh, like 229 00:13:10,679 --> 00:13:13,320 Speaker 1: you crop dust fields to to put chemicals on them. 230 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:15,040 Speaker 1: You do the same thing if you want to eradicate 231 00:13:15,080 --> 00:13:17,280 Speaker 1: and kill them, right, And it is very effective. It's 232 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:21,480 Speaker 1: worked in Colombia. Columbia, Uh finally has a president. I 233 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:24,199 Speaker 1: shouldn't say finally, but Columbia as a president is very 234 00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:26,599 Speaker 1: sympathetic and friendly to the US, and he's let the 235 00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:29,200 Speaker 1: d e A in there and they have eradicated a 236 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:34,240 Speaker 1: lot of um cocoa fields using that that method. Yeah, 237 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:35,880 Speaker 1: so it does work. But cards I was like no. 238 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:39,160 Speaker 1: And apparently there's been more and more and more reports 239 00:13:39,320 --> 00:13:42,080 Speaker 1: of the people who are involved in the central government 240 00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:44,760 Speaker 1: are all drug lords or most of them are drug 241 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:47,840 Speaker 1: lords too. So Afghanistan is teetering right on the edge 242 00:13:47,840 --> 00:13:51,640 Speaker 1: of being a narco state, if it's not already. So 243 00:13:52,200 --> 00:13:54,880 Speaker 1: contributing to half of your GDP. That's another reason for 244 00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:57,240 Speaker 1: a narco state to develop. Yeah. And well, since we're 245 00:13:57,240 --> 00:14:00,480 Speaker 1: on money, another thing that money brings is uh, bribes 246 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:02,840 Speaker 1: and corruption like we were talking about. And I have 247 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:06,720 Speaker 1: to mention this because you uncovered this great fact from Guatemala. 248 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:10,240 Speaker 1: The federal judge that's just hard to believe. The federal 249 00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:14,160 Speaker 1: judge was accused of accepting thousands of dollars in bribes 250 00:14:14,559 --> 00:14:17,920 Speaker 1: to dismiss a drug trafficking case and at the end 251 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:19,720 Speaker 1: of the seed dismissed the case. At the end of 252 00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:22,760 Speaker 1: this trial. Uh, this judge was seen driving the defendant 253 00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:26,280 Speaker 1: from court. Yeah, so it goes pretty deep. Yeah, and 254 00:14:26,280 --> 00:14:30,320 Speaker 1: Guatemala is UM is a de facto narco state right now. 255 00:14:31,160 --> 00:14:34,360 Speaker 1: UM and in Central America itself, which is, like we said, 256 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:37,480 Speaker 1: since the UM, since the Caribbean has been shut down, 257 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:40,560 Speaker 1: Central America started to play a really key role as 258 00:14:40,640 --> 00:14:45,520 Speaker 1: a as a supply line between South America and North America. UM. 259 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:49,160 Speaker 1: And actually, because of all those conflicts that you mentioned earlier, 260 00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:55,000 Speaker 1: there's now a ratio of five to one illegal unregistered 261 00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:58,880 Speaker 1: guns to guns held by UM legitimate police and armed forces. 262 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:02,400 Speaker 1: Not good. So let's keep an eye on in Central America. 263 00:15:02,440 --> 00:15:05,880 Speaker 1: That means trouble is coming. Okay, So Central America, UM, again, 264 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:10,080 Speaker 1: we talked about how it's been destabilized by conflict. There's 265 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:14,200 Speaker 1: tons of guns, there's terrible infrastructure, but there's plenty of 266 00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:17,600 Speaker 1: drugs and narco states and you know what else. Dide 267 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:22,320 Speaker 1: in Guatemala, they have corrupt government officials there have drafted 268 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:27,080 Speaker 1: legislation that prevents UM extradition. And as we know, extradition 269 00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:30,000 Speaker 1: is a really valuable tool for us when we're trying 270 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:33,280 Speaker 1: to prosecute these drug lords. And they said, he can't 271 00:15:33,280 --> 00:15:35,880 Speaker 1: do it. No, So that kind of says, right there, 272 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:39,440 Speaker 1: let us make our money. Yeah, us stay out of 273 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:42,040 Speaker 1: her hair. Once you have the Congress, in the judiciary 274 00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:45,520 Speaker 1: in your pocket, that's even more valuable. In the military, 275 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:48,000 Speaker 1: although the military is a really good first step. Yeah, 276 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:51,360 Speaker 1: that's true. UM. Alright, So Chuck, one of the reasons 277 00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:54,840 Speaker 1: why you might notice that UM Central and South America 278 00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:57,600 Speaker 1: keep popping up. One of the reasons why is because 279 00:15:57,880 --> 00:16:03,520 Speaker 1: UM Central America specifically was a Cold War battleground where 280 00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:05,880 Speaker 1: the U S and the USSR fought one another in 281 00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:10,560 Speaker 1: proxy wars UM through throughout the Cold War. Basically both 282 00:16:10,560 --> 00:16:15,080 Speaker 1: countries just completely used nations in Central and South America 283 00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:18,080 Speaker 1: to fight, fight one another, try to bleed one another out. 284 00:16:18,280 --> 00:16:20,680 Speaker 1: And you know what that means. What that means that 285 00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:24,360 Speaker 1: these people that live there being trained by either Russian 286 00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:29,080 Speaker 1: or American military. They're being supplied with guns and ammunition 287 00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:32,120 Speaker 1: and all the things that you need. Once you stop 288 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:35,000 Speaker 1: and say cold wars, over all those guns and trained 289 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:37,520 Speaker 1: dudes are still there and they're like, well, what should 290 00:16:37,520 --> 00:16:39,800 Speaker 1: we do with all this stuff? Yeah, it's from throughout 291 00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:42,000 Speaker 1: and not only that, we are not getting funding from 292 00:16:42,040 --> 00:16:45,640 Speaker 1: the Soviets of the Americans anymore, but we still the 293 00:16:45,720 --> 00:16:48,640 Speaker 1: war didn't end for them. The conflict didn't end for them. 294 00:16:48,640 --> 00:16:50,640 Speaker 1: The power struggle didn't end for them just because the 295 00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:53,680 Speaker 1: Americans and the Soviets suddenly lost interest. It's still going 296 00:16:53,720 --> 00:16:57,000 Speaker 1: on and there they are funding it through drugs right 297 00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:02,120 Speaker 1: um and also uh the US backed right wing paramilitary 298 00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:06,480 Speaker 1: groups or right wing um dictatorships, and the Soviets of 299 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:10,160 Speaker 1: course backed left wing groups like farc Um and farc 300 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:14,760 Speaker 1: has a reputation for being extremely brutal. They used child soldiers, 301 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:18,879 Speaker 1: they engaging kidnappings, bombings, um kill their own people. Sure 302 00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:23,080 Speaker 1: at one point, Um, they offered a thousand dollars to 303 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:26,119 Speaker 1: anybody who killed the government official. So they were outsourcing 304 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:28,879 Speaker 1: their terrorism and their communists, and they were supported by 305 00:17:28,880 --> 00:17:31,640 Speaker 1: the Soviets. So of course they're horrible. The US supported 306 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:36,639 Speaker 1: equally brutal regimes and groups like lack of Frida. You 307 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:40,640 Speaker 1: know about them, they're Guatemala. Yes, they were very much 308 00:17:40,640 --> 00:17:43,560 Speaker 1: supported by the US and they helped kill as many 309 00:17:43,600 --> 00:17:46,040 Speaker 1: as two hundred thousand of their own people during that 310 00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:50,040 Speaker 1: civil war. Josh, lacka Frida wasn't the only one, right, 311 00:17:50,359 --> 00:17:53,520 Speaker 1: Remember the nineteen eighties when President Reagan launched the War 312 00:17:53,560 --> 00:17:55,760 Speaker 1: on drugs. You know what was going on At the 313 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:59,280 Speaker 1: same time, we were providing funding and weapons for the 314 00:17:59,320 --> 00:18:04,720 Speaker 1: same anti communist paramilitary groups that were producing and distributing 315 00:18:04,760 --> 00:18:07,680 Speaker 1: this cocaine. Yeah, right, at the same time. Yea, yet 316 00:18:07,760 --> 00:18:09,959 Speaker 1: we were fighting a war on drugs. Yeah, doesn't add up, 317 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:12,960 Speaker 1: doesn't Not only that, you remember Manuel Noriega and we 318 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:16,920 Speaker 1: went down to Panama in nine Delta Force was there, 319 00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:21,399 Speaker 1: Special Forces was there, um, and we captured him and 320 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:23,639 Speaker 1: then put him in prison in Miami for a couple 321 00:18:23,640 --> 00:18:27,200 Speaker 1: of decades. Yeah, he was a CIA asset for eight years. Yeah, 322 00:18:27,240 --> 00:18:30,880 Speaker 1: he was operating a narco state under our supervision. Yeah, 323 00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:33,800 Speaker 1: you could say, yep uh. And then once news leaked 324 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:37,200 Speaker 1: out to the general public that he was a drug dealer, um, 325 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:39,639 Speaker 1: we went down and immroved him from power, right and 326 00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:41,879 Speaker 1: gave I believe he's still in prison, right, No, he 327 00:18:42,040 --> 00:18:44,360 Speaker 1: just got out really yeah, okay, like a year ago 328 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:46,720 Speaker 1: or something like that. Good for him. And again, this 329 00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:50,120 Speaker 1: is the same thing that's going on right now in Afghanistan. Um. 330 00:18:50,359 --> 00:18:53,199 Speaker 1: We're well aware that cars I is totally cool with 331 00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:56,760 Speaker 1: the heroin production in that nation, which by the way 332 00:18:56,840 --> 00:18:59,400 Speaker 1: is far and away the the largest producer of heroin 333 00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:03,840 Speaker 1: or b um poppies um in the world. So it's 334 00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:06,600 Speaker 1: still going on. Although we we donated a lot of 335 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:08,600 Speaker 1: are donated. I guess that's not the right word, but 336 00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:11,320 Speaker 1: we gave them close to eight hundred million dollars for 337 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:15,199 Speaker 1: counter narcotics operations and measures. I'm sure every penny went 338 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:18,080 Speaker 1: to that thing. Um. So it's still going on. But 339 00:19:18,359 --> 00:19:22,240 Speaker 1: we the reason why it's really disturbing that this is 340 00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:24,720 Speaker 1: still going on is because we haven't learned a very 341 00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:28,080 Speaker 1: clear lesson from this, and that's when we support groups 342 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:31,720 Speaker 1: that engage in drug trafficking. It invariably comes back to 343 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:35,680 Speaker 1: bite us in the ass um. Like I mentioned Laco 344 00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:41,320 Speaker 1: Frida in Guatemala. The two guys who are running that show, 345 00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:45,080 Speaker 1: running Guatemala as a narco state, we're both trained by 346 00:19:45,119 --> 00:19:49,600 Speaker 1: the United States at the School of the America's Fort Benning, 347 00:19:49,640 --> 00:19:52,120 Speaker 1: I think, kay, right here in Georgia. Yeah, that's where 348 00:19:52,119 --> 00:19:57,200 Speaker 1: they trained foreign people, no specifically South Latin America, Latin 349 00:19:57,240 --> 00:20:02,160 Speaker 1: Americans specifically to train them pretty controversial, Yeah, because they 350 00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:06,879 Speaker 1: trained them in assassination, in assembling guerilla armies and destabilizing 351 00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:09,320 Speaker 1: central governments, that kind of stuff. So we're training these 352 00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:11,480 Speaker 1: guys to go fight the serviews. But then again, after 353 00:20:11,520 --> 00:20:13,560 Speaker 1: the Cold Wars over, these guys are still going. They're 354 00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:17,520 Speaker 1: still around. Yea Um. The Mexican Gulf Cartel, which has 355 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:22,520 Speaker 1: become hugely violent and kind of big um, is run 356 00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:24,679 Speaker 1: by a couple of guys who were also trained at 357 00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:27,960 Speaker 1: the School of the America's. So basically the world's biggest 358 00:20:28,080 --> 00:20:31,320 Speaker 1: drug dealers were trained by the United States and the 359 00:20:31,400 --> 00:20:33,840 Speaker 1: art of smuggling and all sorts of other stuff. They 360 00:20:33,840 --> 00:20:36,400 Speaker 1: were trained in their craft, and I think the Russians 361 00:20:36,720 --> 00:20:41,720 Speaker 1: used Escobar right, Yeah, to to help guard their poppy fields, 362 00:20:41,720 --> 00:20:45,960 Speaker 1: is that right. Yeah. Farc actually started out um guarding 363 00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:50,159 Speaker 1: Escobar's coco fields in Colombia for the Median cartel. Right, 364 00:20:51,040 --> 00:20:53,080 Speaker 1: and then apparently they're like, wow, this guy is making 365 00:20:53,119 --> 00:20:55,000 Speaker 1: a bunch of money. We're gonna go out on our own, 366 00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:58,760 Speaker 1: and they became rivals. And then again Delta Force goes 367 00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:04,240 Speaker 1: down there and over ever sees the assassination of um Escobar. Yeah. 368 00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:06,359 Speaker 1: So I don't mean to sound paranoid, like I really 369 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:10,320 Speaker 1: researched this article and all this is fact. Yeah, everything 370 00:21:10,359 --> 00:21:13,119 Speaker 1: that is in fact. I've made like verbal air quotes 371 00:21:13,119 --> 00:21:16,320 Speaker 1: with like this is this is documented stuff and so 372 00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:19,880 Speaker 1: much money and legitimate publication. You know, it's all about 373 00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:22,439 Speaker 1: the green backs. Yes, so much money at stake. So 374 00:21:22,520 --> 00:21:24,679 Speaker 1: let's talk about Africa, man, that's the place to be 375 00:21:24,720 --> 00:21:29,080 Speaker 1: these days. Well, if you're in the narco state, Yeah, exactly. Yeah, 376 00:21:29,119 --> 00:21:31,680 Speaker 1: Africa has really risen since the mid eighties. That was 377 00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:35,840 Speaker 1: the first sign of a drug presence in Africa and Zombia, 378 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:39,360 Speaker 1: although it was marijuana in uh in Zombia at the time. 379 00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:41,960 Speaker 1: That's how it started out, at least the gateway drug. 380 00:21:42,119 --> 00:21:44,760 Speaker 1: Even when you're talking narco states. Sure, yeah, it's funny. 381 00:21:45,119 --> 00:21:50,240 Speaker 1: So Zambia goes um is exposes a narco state. Apparently 382 00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:52,520 Speaker 1: the government wasn't aware of this one, but a group 383 00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:56,400 Speaker 1: of prominent citizens were operating like a sub state. Yeah, 384 00:21:56,520 --> 00:22:00,000 Speaker 1: sub narco state, just under the noses of the functioning government. 385 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:03,520 Speaker 1: And again very poor people, which is key. That's yeah. 386 00:22:03,760 --> 00:22:05,200 Speaker 1: If people don't have any money, and all of a 387 00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:07,320 Speaker 1: sudden people come and give them gobs of money. They'll 388 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:10,000 Speaker 1: you know, you want to be a drug mule, We'll 389 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:35,399 Speaker 1: give you this much money. Problem. Um. So Zambie was 390 00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:38,840 Speaker 1: the first to start in Africa and then the nineties. UM. 391 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:41,840 Speaker 1: The reason why it picked up speed in the nineties 392 00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:44,879 Speaker 1: because it was the end of colonialism and just ended 393 00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:48,400 Speaker 1: within the last decade or so. UM. And this European 394 00:22:48,480 --> 00:22:52,680 Speaker 1: influence and influx of money and exploitation UM left a 395 00:22:52,800 --> 00:22:58,400 Speaker 1: vacuum economically, financially. Uh. And oftentimes with central governments there's 396 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:01,080 Speaker 1: just a vacuum and nobody's doing any there's no way 397 00:23:01,119 --> 00:23:03,119 Speaker 1: to make any money or anything. So narco states are 398 00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:06,080 Speaker 1: setting up. Synegal was another one in the nineties that 399 00:23:06,119 --> 00:23:09,280 Speaker 1: believe heroin and cocaine really were on the rise, and 400 00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:10,960 Speaker 1: here's the stat that you you dug up. It was 401 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:14,960 Speaker 1: pretty good. In two thousand and eight, the Telegraph newspaper 402 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:17,920 Speaker 1: in England reported that the cost of a bribe to 403 00:23:18,320 --> 00:23:20,600 Speaker 1: look the other way at the airport when you're flying 404 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:23,800 Speaker 1: in at into car with drugs nine grand per kilo 405 00:23:23,920 --> 00:23:26,879 Speaker 1: of cocaine. Right, and Chuck just mentioned a little funny 406 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:30,760 Speaker 1: little word, and it was cocaine. You know, associate Africa 407 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:34,000 Speaker 1: with cocaine normally, Well, yeah, that's true. You do now though, yeah, 408 00:23:34,119 --> 00:23:36,760 Speaker 1: big time. And one of the reasons why um, it's 409 00:23:36,800 --> 00:23:40,320 Speaker 1: popped up in Africa's because West Africa is a perfect 410 00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:45,040 Speaker 1: stop for cocaine en route to Europe. Or we talked 411 00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:48,159 Speaker 1: about Europe having a huge problem with heroin. One of 412 00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:50,119 Speaker 1: the reasons they didn't have a big problem with cocaine's 413 00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:53,080 Speaker 1: because the Colombians and other South Americans hadn't figured out 414 00:23:53,119 --> 00:23:55,240 Speaker 1: how to get it to them. Now, all of a sudden, 415 00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:59,200 Speaker 1: West Africa's devolving into narco states because they finally figured 416 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:03,520 Speaker 1: out we need a port and West Africa's right, specifically 417 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:08,000 Speaker 1: Guinea Bissaal. This is this is, like we said earlier, 418 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:11,399 Speaker 1: the one true functioning narco state right now, Yeah, a 419 00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:15,080 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty million dollars worth of cocaine passes through 420 00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:17,840 Speaker 1: the borders of Guinea Bissau each month, and that was 421 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:19,760 Speaker 1: in two thousand seven. And what is a hundred and 422 00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:23,400 Speaker 1: fifty million dollars times two to them? Uh, they're gross 423 00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:27,400 Speaker 1: domestic product. It's half of their gross domestic product. So 424 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:31,040 Speaker 1: the entire nation, all of the goods and services produced 425 00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:35,359 Speaker 1: in Guinea Bissau and above the boards, equals three hundred 426 00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:39,760 Speaker 1: million dollars a year and they have half of that 427 00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:44,040 Speaker 1: coming through their country in cocaine cocaine a month. Yeah. 428 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:46,280 Speaker 1: Tell the story of how this started there is so 429 00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:50,479 Speaker 1: interesting it is, Uh, what year was it, Chuck? Two thousands? 430 00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:54,280 Speaker 1: There are a group of Guinea Bissau and fishermen who 431 00:24:54,359 --> 00:24:57,600 Speaker 1: were out um in their boats and there was a 432 00:24:57,640 --> 00:25:00,640 Speaker 1: big old package floating or maybe several small our packages 433 00:25:00,680 --> 00:25:02,639 Speaker 1: is floating there. So they hauled them in with their 434 00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:04,919 Speaker 1: nets and they took them back to land. They opened 435 00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:07,359 Speaker 1: them up and there was this white powder inside that 436 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:09,760 Speaker 1: they've never seen before. They didn't know what to do 437 00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:12,159 Speaker 1: with it, so they actually used it as fertilizer on 438 00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:15,800 Speaker 1: their crops, which they killed their crops very really yeah. 439 00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:18,240 Speaker 1: And then finally, one day, while they're still puzzling over 440 00:25:18,280 --> 00:25:20,040 Speaker 1: this stuff, god knows what else they did with it, 441 00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:26,160 Speaker 1: a man, a South American man, shows up and says, hey, um, 442 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:28,720 Speaker 1: I believe you have something that belongs to us. Yeah, 443 00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:31,560 Speaker 1: and uh, that's cocaine. That's our cocaine. Will give you 444 00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:35,680 Speaker 1: a million dollars for it, which is one of the 445 00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:39,439 Speaker 1: entire gross domestic product, remember of Guinea Bissau. And so 446 00:25:39,480 --> 00:25:42,000 Speaker 1: they say okay, and by the way, can we do 447 00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:45,119 Speaker 1: this again? And that was the birth of the Guinea 448 00:25:45,160 --> 00:25:48,320 Speaker 1: Bissau and narcos. It completely happened by accident, it did, 449 00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:50,600 Speaker 1: I mean, can you imagine that? And Guinea Bissau is 450 00:25:50,800 --> 00:25:55,520 Speaker 1: a perfect narco state. The cops literally in this in 451 00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:59,280 Speaker 1: the capital Um Bissau, it's the capital city of the country. 452 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:02,600 Speaker 1: The cops have five cop cars and they almost never 453 00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:05,240 Speaker 1: have gasoline to fuel them. And they have a hundred 454 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:07,560 Speaker 1: and fifty million dollars worth of cocaine going through the 455 00:26:07,560 --> 00:26:09,800 Speaker 1: borders with five cop cars. Right. It was a former 456 00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:14,199 Speaker 1: Portuguese colony, the Portuguese left um And getting into how 457 00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:17,560 Speaker 1: there's not an airplane associated with that country, but they 458 00:26:17,560 --> 00:26:20,920 Speaker 1: have air fields out on like barrier islands that are 459 00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:25,720 Speaker 1: just totally unused, unpatrolled. UM. And what's more, the military 460 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:29,840 Speaker 1: is completely in the pockets of the UM. I think 461 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:33,920 Speaker 1: they're mostly Colombians that took the place. Over built stucco mansions. 462 00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:37,480 Speaker 1: They have UM direct TV antennas on their roofs. In 463 00:26:37,520 --> 00:26:41,199 Speaker 1: this incredibly poverty stricken country, they stick out like sore thumbs. 464 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:43,359 Speaker 1: They don't care. One of the reasons why is, like 465 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:45,760 Speaker 1: I said, the military is on their side. How did 466 00:26:46,160 --> 00:26:49,439 Speaker 1: how do we know that, Chuck Josh. In September of 467 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:53,359 Speaker 1: two thousand six, Uh, cops, they are arrested to Colombian 468 00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:57,640 Speaker 1: guys in a house with seven hundred kilos of cocaine, 469 00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:00,760 Speaker 1: and the soldiers came. They showed up the police station, 470 00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:04,240 Speaker 1: surrounded it and said give me the cocaine and the 471 00:27:04,280 --> 00:27:07,159 Speaker 1: men and uh they did so, and they got in 472 00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:09,240 Speaker 1: their cars, loaded up the coke and drove away. The 473 00:27:09,320 --> 00:27:13,040 Speaker 1: cops watched the military load up the coke and just 474 00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:15,560 Speaker 1: leave with the guys, said thank you for your time. Yeah, 475 00:27:15,560 --> 00:27:18,159 Speaker 1: and that was it. That was UM. That was the 476 00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:21,200 Speaker 1: beginning of the end. The military engaged in an all 477 00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:24,600 Speaker 1: out war with the government and ended up assassinating the 478 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:28,080 Speaker 1: president after laying siege to his mansion for several hours. Yeah, 479 00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:30,080 Speaker 1: just this year, right, March. Huh he was he was 480 00:27:30,240 --> 00:27:33,879 Speaker 1: assassinated in March. Yeah. So there's no central government in 481 00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:38,359 Speaker 1: Guinea Bissau. The Colombians are they're selling drugs, uh, using 482 00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:40,440 Speaker 1: it as Actually they're not selling it in Guinea Bissau 483 00:27:40,480 --> 00:27:42,640 Speaker 1: as far as I know. They're using Guinea Bissions as mules. 484 00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:47,639 Speaker 1: Who they're even more perfect because it was a Portuguese colony. 485 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:50,320 Speaker 1: They don't have to have visas to get into Europe. Yeah. 486 00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:53,880 Speaker 1: I mean, it's like it's like Pablo Escobar went, God, 487 00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:56,480 Speaker 1: I need you to do me a favor. I got 488 00:27:56,520 --> 00:27:58,840 Speaker 1: some friends back there on Earth, and they need a 489 00:27:58,920 --> 00:28:01,400 Speaker 1: place in West Africa, need a perfect narco state that's 490 00:28:01,480 --> 00:28:04,919 Speaker 1: a perfect narco state. And God's like getting miss And 491 00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:07,280 Speaker 1: I think you said the average annual income there is 492 00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:10,160 Speaker 1: like five bucks a year for a civil servants job. Yeah, 493 00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:13,080 Speaker 1: so it's clear that if you start waving just small 494 00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:14,919 Speaker 1: amounts of money under their nose, that they're gonna be 495 00:28:14,920 --> 00:28:18,359 Speaker 1: at your beck and call. So getting Missau on your watch, 496 00:28:18,440 --> 00:28:20,320 Speaker 1: I mean, it's just insane right there. Sure, it's not 497 00:28:20,359 --> 00:28:24,880 Speaker 1: a safe place to be. No, Nope, so that's Narco States. Um, 498 00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:26,639 Speaker 1: I have a headache just from talking about it. How 499 00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:29,760 Speaker 1: about you, Chuck? I do kind of dance and it is. 500 00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:31,960 Speaker 1: It was a really good article though. Thanks man. If 501 00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:34,560 Speaker 1: you want to read the article that I wrote, um 502 00:28:34,640 --> 00:28:38,480 Speaker 1: and pour my blood, sweat and tears into you can 503 00:28:38,520 --> 00:28:41,560 Speaker 1: type Narco States. That's two words in the handy search 504 00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:44,760 Speaker 1: bar at how stuff Works dot com. And uh that 505 00:28:44,880 --> 00:28:50,200 Speaker 1: means it's time for listener mail. Yeah, you know it's funny? 506 00:28:50,280 --> 00:28:52,960 Speaker 1: Is this morning? Emily asked me while we were getting 507 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:55,680 Speaker 1: ready for a day what we're gonna podcast on and 508 00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:57,760 Speaker 1: I said Narco State. She said, what's a Narco state? Not? 509 00:28:58,160 --> 00:29:02,000 Speaker 1: I don't know. And here, like eight hours later, my 510 00:29:02,040 --> 00:29:05,280 Speaker 1: mind is or at least enough to talk about it 511 00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:10,640 Speaker 1: for twenty five minutes? Has it only been twenty five minutes? Minute? 512 00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:14,200 Speaker 1: Cherries is thirty five? Josh, I'm gonna call this um 513 00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:19,520 Speaker 1: d NA database London Email. Hello, Josh and Chuck love 514 00:29:19,560 --> 00:29:21,240 Speaker 1: your show. I thought you may be interested in little 515 00:29:21,240 --> 00:29:24,600 Speaker 1: story in regards to the podcast about crime databases. I 516 00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:27,440 Speaker 1: am from Yakima, Washington, but I've lived in the UK 517 00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:31,880 Speaker 1: for the last decade. I'm a train driver engineer. Lisa 518 00:29:32,120 --> 00:29:35,600 Speaker 1: is thirty. She's an American train engineer living in England. 519 00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:39,720 Speaker 1: That interesting. So a friend of mine, who was also 520 00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:42,440 Speaker 1: a conductor, had a recent experience with the British Transport 521 00:29:42,480 --> 00:29:45,959 Speaker 1: Police in regards to this. He was spat on by 522 00:29:45,960 --> 00:29:48,120 Speaker 1: a member of the public who was abusive while carrying 523 00:29:48,120 --> 00:29:51,960 Speaker 1: out ticket duties, so the police were called on the day, 524 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:54,400 Speaker 1: and for weeks after, my friend was pretty much harassed 525 00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:57,400 Speaker 1: by the police because they wanted a DNA sample from 526 00:29:57,480 --> 00:30:02,959 Speaker 1: him for quote exclusion purposes. He steadfastly declined each request, 527 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:05,000 Speaker 1: to the point where he put it in writing to 528 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:07,680 Speaker 1: the police that he would get a solicitor involved to 529 00:30:07,760 --> 00:30:10,240 Speaker 1: ensure he never had to submit a sample. The outcome 530 00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:14,040 Speaker 1: is basically that he the offender, went unpunished because the 531 00:30:14,040 --> 00:30:17,000 Speaker 1: police won't follow it up anymore because the guy who 532 00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:20,840 Speaker 1: was attacked and spit upon won't surrender his DNA for 533 00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:23,080 Speaker 1: exclusion purposes. So I just thought you may want to 534 00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:26,040 Speaker 1: know here in England even victims of crime are being 535 00:30:26,080 --> 00:30:29,600 Speaker 1: coerced into giving samples. Keep up the great work from 536 00:30:29,720 --> 00:30:33,760 Speaker 1: Lisa x x X from Lisa, Wow not an x 537 00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:39,200 Speaker 1: O buddy, triple X. That's from Lisa and Stoke, Hammond, Buckinghamshire. 538 00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:43,360 Speaker 1: And I guess that's a place. Yeah, you know, I've 539 00:30:43,360 --> 00:30:46,040 Speaker 1: can spit on the floor and spit back. Did you 540 00:30:46,080 --> 00:30:50,000 Speaker 1: get spit on by cab driver? And nice? Really obvious? 541 00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:52,120 Speaker 1: Such a rick and try to charge me twenty bucks 542 00:30:52,160 --> 00:30:54,600 Speaker 1: for like an eight block cab ride. I was like, 543 00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:57,600 Speaker 1: I'm not giving you that much, and he was like, 544 00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:01,800 Speaker 1: just you will further and I I just like blinked 545 00:31:01,800 --> 00:31:03,680 Speaker 1: and like put my hand on my face and sure 546 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:05,760 Speaker 1: enough there was a spit and I just spit right 547 00:31:05,760 --> 00:31:07,560 Speaker 1: back in his pace. This is France. I thought he 548 00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:10,080 Speaker 1: was going to explode, not even in a narco state. 549 00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:12,640 Speaker 1: It was a nice Did you pay him? I paid him, 550 00:31:12,640 --> 00:31:14,880 Speaker 1: so I didn't pay him twenty bucks? What a jerk 551 00:31:15,480 --> 00:31:19,240 Speaker 1: spit on Josh, no doubt. Yeah, he's got a meeting 552 00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:22,320 Speaker 1: with me scheduled. Thanks buddy, I'm gonna go find this guy. Yeah, 553 00:31:22,400 --> 00:31:24,400 Speaker 1: let's go to Nice, all right? All right? Well, if 554 00:31:24,480 --> 00:31:28,160 Speaker 1: you have any stories about spitting on or being spit upon, um, 555 00:31:28,280 --> 00:31:32,360 Speaker 1: you can send in an email to Stuff Podcast at 556 00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:39,000 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com for more on this and 557 00:31:39,080 --> 00:31:42,720 Speaker 1: thousands of other topics. Because it how stuff works dot Com. 558 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:45,480 Speaker 1: Want more how stuff works, check out our blogs on 559 00:31:45,560 --> 00:31:47,320 Speaker 1: the house stuff works dot Com home page