If you think the global drug trade peaked with Pablo Escobar and the cocaine cowboys of the 1980s, you haven’t been paying attention to Asia. The new documentary series Traffickers: Inside the Golden Triangle (Season 1) drags viewers past the picturesque postcards of Southeast Asia and into the muddy, violent reality of the world’s most enduring narco-state.

One episode follows a young addict from Mandalay who started smoking heroin at 14. Another interviews a Thai farmer forced to grow poppies because the legitimate economy simply doesn’t exist. The series doesn’t excuse their choices, but it explains the brutal math of survival.

Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational and review purposes only. The writer does not condone or glorify drug trafficking or drug use.