Mekong Matters

news, commentary, true crime · EN

Across the Mekong, organized crime shapes daily life—from illegal casinos in the Golden Triangle and synthetic drug production in Vietnam, to human trafficking, cyber scams, and the looting of forests and wildlife. Mekong Matters is a new podcast from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) featuring experts, investigators and local leaders who expose how criminal networks operate in their communities and across borders—and why their reach extends far beyond South East Asia.In this series, we will be speaking on a diverse set of topics – from illegal casinos and laundering hubs - Synthetic drugs and cross-border drug trafficking - Human trafficking, forced scamming, and cyber-scam compounds - Corruption, shadow economies, and state capture - Money laundering and illicit finance - Wildlife trafficking, illegal rosewood logging, and environmental crime - Arms trafficking and smuggling routes - How crime impacts communities, healthcare, and governance.Why it