How Tse Chi Lop, Asia’s Biggest Drug Lord, Was Arrested

March 3, 2021

Authorities from 20 countries worked for years to bust the Chinese-Canadian kingpin. Now, they have successfully removed the head of Asia’ largest drug syndicate.

The Australian Federal Police. DFat photo library. CC BY 2.0.

Cai Jeng Ze had sweaty hands. Authorities at Yangon International Airport in Myanmar first noticed him picking at his red, blistered fingers. Drug traffickers in the Asia-Pacific region tend to have similar hands from handling methamphetamine; the drug is toxic to human skin. Authorities stopped and searched him. Taped to each of his thighs was a bag containing 80 grams of ketamine, a medical-grade anesthetic and party drug. These tiny bags were the least of the authorities’ concerns. On his person, they found two cellphones—an “Aladdin’s cave of intel” according to one investigator—that led to the takedown of Asia’s most infamous drug lord: Tse Chi Lop.

Cai Jeng Ze was arrested in 2016, and five years later, on Jan. 23, 2021, Tse Chi Lop was arrested at Amsterdam’s Schiphol International Airport. That day brought to a close the yearslong work of Operation Kungur, a counternarcotics investigation involving 20 agencies from Asia, North America and Europe. It was by far the largest effort to combat an Asian drug trafficking syndicate. Investigators estimate that Tse Chi Lop’s organization, known as “The Company,” controls 40% to 70% of the Asia-Pacific meth market, which produces $30.3 billion to $60.4 billion annually. As CEO of The Company, also known as the Sam Gor syndicate, many have dubbed him “Asia’s El Chapo.” Some investigators believe a more apt comparison would be to Pablo Escobar.

The source of Tse’s riches. Gary Lee Todd, Ph.D. CC0

But the path to arresting this kingpin began with Cai Jeng Ze’s two cellphones. Myanmar authorities invited the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to send two intelligence analysts to Yangon. Once there, they cross-referenced the phone’s contents with their vast database on Asian drug trafficking. With data gleaned from that analysis, Operation Kungur could pursue lead after lead until they gathered enough intel to arrest Tse Chi Lop.

Authorities first learned what Tse looked like by capitalizing on the most lucrative aspect of his business. The AFP intercepted a small heroin shipment into Australia, but rather than arrest the dealers, they surveilled them. After having shipment after shipment seized, Australian gangs demanded compensation from Tse. The Company’s gargantuan profit margins allow Tse to make his buyers offers they can’t refuse: if a shipment is captured by police, he will supply them with a replacement at no extra charge or give them a full refund. The Australian gang was pushing it, though. Annoyed leaders of the syndicate summoned the gang leader to Hong Kong. When the Australian met two men from The Company, Hong Kong police were there to watch. One of the men present was Tse Chi Lop.

His modest appearance belies his notoriety. He is 57 years old. With center-parted hair, he dresses like a middle-class, middle-aged family man. Though not middle-class, he was certainly a family man. He flew family members to five-star hotels for birthday parties. Though middle-aged, he surrounded himself with at least eight Thai kickboxers at a time for his security detail. He was known to bet at casinos and English horse races. One night, he lost $66 million at a casino in Macao.

His profit margins explain his lavish lifestyle. One investigator said Tse’s supply chain was so sturdy and complex that it “must rival Apple’s.” He sources much of his methamphetamine from the Shan state in northeastern Myanmar, a corner of the “Golden Triangle” where Myanmar, Thailand and Laos meet and where most of Asia’s meth originates. Rebel groups control the territory in the Shan state, allowing Tse to operate a state-of-the-art meth facility. Away from the prying eyes of Myanmar’s government, The Company can produce much higher-quality meth in much greater quantities than competitors and can charge much lower prices. A kilo goes for $70,500 in Thailand, $298,000 in Australia, and $588,000 in Japan. The Company can turn a profit charging only $1,800.

United States marshals in Asia’s “Golden Triangle.” U.S. Mashals Service. CC BY 2.0.

Authorities had the chance to give Tse, a Canadian national, a life sentence in 1998. He was found guilty of conspiracy to import heroin into the United States by the Eastern District Court of New York. Through a petition in 2000, he begged for leniency. He claimed his ailing parents needed care. His wife was overwhelmed taking care of their 12-year-old son, who suffered from a lung disorder. He promised to open a restaurant when he was freed.

Luckily, authorities got a second chance. When Tse gained freedom in 2006, he resumed where he left off, masterminding the transport of drugs across continents. Authorities are not yet releasing details about his arrest in Amsterdam. For now, the world is beginning to learn the name Tse Chi Lop. His demure demeanor allowed him to slip under the radar of investigators and media alike. Even in prison, though, his life’s work will exact long-lasting repercussions on Asia’s drug market. The Company and its supply chains persist. Investigators are left with a new question: who will take Tse’s place?

US Calls for Action Against Chinese for Treatment of Uyghur Muslims

May 21, 2020

Last week, the U.S. Senate passed the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 to seek justice for Uyghur Muslims forced into labor camps in China.

It is believed that the Chinese government’s placement of Uyghur Muslims in labor camps in Xinjiang province represents the largest mass detention of people since World War II. However, since 2017, there has been an international investigation into the matter. It is estimated by the United Nations that approximately 2 million Uyghurs have been placed into at least 28 camps.

Yet, when questioned about this activity, the government denies wrongdoing and explains that the purpose of the camps is vocational training for the minority group to increase its participation in the economy. The government staged a press conference of alleged former “civilians” who were at the camps to show that the camps helped transform their lives and ideologies. By transformation, it is implied that they were taught to give up Muslim practices and take on more “modern” Chinese ways. Family members who are living outside of China have spoken out against Chinese statements and helped expose the torture that may actually be taking place in these modern-day concentration camps.

The Uyghur people make up 60% of Xinjiang’s population, but are a minority in the rest of China. Specifically, they are of Turkish descent, and are often labeled as terrorists and religious extremists by the Chinese government. The name “Uyghur” is actually an umbrella term for multiple Muslim minorities that have been singled out. Many of those who have been targeted have been forcibly detained for reasons such as facial hair or even clothing.

In November 2019, United States senators called for sanctions against Chinese leaders for the detention of Uyghurs. However, due to the impeachment hearings of President Trump, the bill failed to get past the Senate floor. The U.S. is not the first country to bring attention to this human rights crisis. Xinjiang province sits along the path of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a plan to expand trade throughout Asia and Europe by essentially revamping the Silk Road. The human rights violations against the Uyghurs have given pause to some countries about joining the project.

Uyghur women grieving over those who have been forcibly taken by Chinese government. Han Guan. CC 2.0

On May 14, the U.S. Senate passed the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020. If enacted by President Trump, it would establish sanctions against China and its officials who are held responsible for inhumane acts ranging from the kidnapping of Muslims to the high rates of abuse and death taking place in the camps.The sanctions include placing restrictions on imports of goods made at these camps as well. The State Department would also be tasked with compiling a report detailing the conditions of these camps, which would be separate from the annual Human Rights and International Religious Freedom documents.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Senate Republicans have taken up an agenda that questions many of the Chinese government’s practices. The Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 is only one of many issues the U.S. is bringing up.

This is not the first case of Muslims being targeted in Asia. Back in August 2017, Rohingya Muslims faced persecution in Myanmar by the country’s Buddhist majority government on claims of terrorism, just like the Uyghur people. Similar to China, Myanmar’s government also refused to take responsibility for its actions.

Eva Ashbaugh

is a Political Science and Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies double major at the University of Pittsburgh. As a political science major concentrating on International Relations, she is passionate about human rights, foreign policy, and fighting for equality. She hopes to one day travel and help educate people to make the world a better place.

Chinese Brides Wear as Many as Five Dresses – Yet Provide Inspiration for a Sustainable Fashion Future

October 11, 2019

Across the Northern hemisphere flowers are blooming, days are warmer and birds are singing. In China, where I live, there is another highly visible indicator of the season: couples dressed in their wedding day finest are to be seen posing in the most picturesque spots around the country, with a photographer in tow.

Weddings in China have always been opulent – with elaborate, detailed embroidered dresses and a prolonged series of ritual events – but in recent decades, as the country positions itself as a global leader and incomes increase, they have become even more so. Increasing Chinese popular awareness of global wedding dress and cultural trends have added to this opulence, with ever-increasing mix between Western and local traditions.

Weddings are now so central to Chinese culture that the small district of Tiger Hill in Suzhou has become the centre of the wedding dress industry, reportedly producing up to 80% of the world’s wedding dresses. This surge in in the industry has been fed by a new generation of Chinese brides and grooms that have become not only brand-conscious but brand-reliant.

In a time in which sustainability has become a key goal for the global fashion industry, this trend is a worry. Here, issues in fast fashion seen all over the world, from wastefulness in production to cheaply produced goods made with poor quality synthetic fabrics, are magnified. And the wedding dress is an apt symbol for the excesses of the industry – usually a phenomenally expensive item, only ever worn once.

But despite the increasing rampant consumerism seen in Chinese wedding dresses, China does offer some kernels of hope for a world – and an industry – increasingly concerned by sustainability.

Tiger Hill

The city of Suzhou has for centuries been known throughout China as the city of silk and embroidery. But as the modern wedding culture of today’s China evolved, Tiger Hill Bridal Market area has developed: first as a centre for wedding photography studios, a place of studios and equipment, and then as a centre of wedding dress production and distribution. Situated just a few hundred metres from one of Suzhou’s famous tourist destinations, Tiger Hill, (Hu Qiu in Chinese) has morphed into a treasure trove of lace, taffeta and beads.

Shops in Tiger Hill offer every kind of imaginable incarnation of what a wedding dress could be, from a Han-Dynasty fantasy garment to a red or white princess-style gown to replicas of dresses worn by famous royal brides. While many shops cater to private customers, wholesalers who distribute the dresses via digital platforms also represent a large section of the area’s clientele.

The district, like many in China, has undergone rapid transformation since the turn of the new millennium, fuelled by an increasing number of consumers with a growing disposable income and associated wedding budget. Tiger Hill Wedding Market is now the place to buy your wedding dress in China as well as around the world online. Brides-to-be can source dresses at all price ranges, from ¥100 to ¥100,000 (approximately £9 to £9,000).

Shopping for dresses in Tiger Hill. © Sara Sterling, Author provided

But a key difference between Suzhou and other wedding dress markets is the prevalence of a rental culture, similar to the Western practice of suit and tuxedo rental for grooms and groomsmen.

This is a hangover from the pre-Deng Xiaoping Open era before the late 1970s, in which extravagant consumption practices were simply not available. And with a minimum of three dresses involved in the Chinese wedding day, it is no small wonder that renting remains well-established.

Multiple dresses

In the UK and other Western countries, it is becoming increasingly popular for brides to wear two versions of a bridal dress on the wedding day, with one reserved for the formal ceremony itself and the other for the evening reception, designed with comfort and ability to dance in mind.

But in China, brides wear up to five dresses. While two or possibly three dresses may have been standard in previous decades, this number has increased in recent years. The ideal bride in China is multi-dimensional, with dresses that represent not only different sections of the wedding day schedule, but different levels of the self. From a tightly fitted and hand-embroidered qi pao, to a voluminous white or cream-coloured dress reminiscent of the days of Marie Antoinette, brides aim to show themselves in different aspects throughout the day.

The photoshoot. Steve Heap/Shutterstock.com

There is one for the morning, when the bride is picked up by her groom after a series of verbal challenges and games. There is one for the walk into the banquet hall and arrival and one for the ceremony. Then another for the series of toasts as the bride and groom make their way around to the dozens of tables of well-wishers and red packet-givers, and perhaps even one more dress for the final hours of the evening.

This might sound over the top and rather wasteful. And indeed, increasing consumer demand for a larger number of dresses for each significant event of the wedding day has placed pressure on the wedding dress industry to produce a larger volume of dresses to meet these requests.

But it doesn’t have to be, especially if China doesn’t lose the tradition of renting these dresses. And with the price of rental dresses, or a rental dress package, costing up to tens of thousands of yuan, dress rental is still commonplace amongst Chinese brides, due to both economic necessity as well as the nature of the ceremony, with its multiple dress changes.

SARA STERLING is a Lecturer in Industrial Design at Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University.

THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON THE CONVERSATION