The China Connection

The opioid epidemic has been made far more deadly by the scourge of fentanyl, a drug with legitimate medical uses, but in the wrong hands can and does kill. The New York Times Magazine recently published The China Connection: How One D.E.A. Agent Cracked a Global Fentanyl Ring, that dives deeply into the history of the fentanyl epidemic and why it's been so hard to stop the trafficking in this drug.

It starts with the overdose death of 18-year-old Bailey Henke in Grand Forks, ND. The investigation of his death eventually led to the shutting down of a global drug trafficking ring that had its roots in the illicit chemical factories of China and the shady shell companies of Hong Kong and had spread across the United States and Canada.

I found it an absolutely riveting story that shows how one dedicated investigator can make a huge impact. It also shows why we still need organizations with the resources and reach of the New York Times to cover something like this in depth. and at length. This is Pulitzer Prize-quality reporting and I recommend it highly.