# Burmese Warlords, Gangsters & A Scam Utopia

An episode of [The Underworld Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1529370760), 9 Sep 2025, 1 h 11 min.

Audio: https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/tracking.swap.fm/track/6bpBPtHL977KJxLX2zPs/pscrb.fm/rss/p/clrtpod.com/m/mgln.ai/e/485/traffic.megaphone.fm/GLSS4697393861.mp3?updated=1757385864

Buried on the border of Thailand and Myanmar, Shwe Kokko is a shimmering city of skyscrapers, casinos and fresh-laid highways. But peek a little closer and you’ll see why it has become one of the world’s criminal capitals — from razor-wire fences to keep in thousands of enslaved scammers, to armed rebel guards and a theme park where Chinese high-rollers can shoot military-grade weapons. Shwe Kokko is a gangster’s paradise. But not any gangster: the brainchild of a Burmese warlord and his Triad kinpin partner, it is an emblem of Golden Triangle lawlessness — where drugs, scams and slaves are bartered like chickens, and where billions of dollars disappear into a gigantic dark market. And this year, it has even helped start an international conflict. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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