New Zealand is a long way from anywhere, and drug cartels have traditionally not bothered sending them much cocaine or heroin. So, Kiwis have had to improvise – and they discovered a love for meth, and random new chemicals no one’s ever heard of. 

This was all getting very dangerous, with rising addiction and biker gangs fighting over territory. Then one man – a steam-punk glam-rock musician named Starboy – decided to try and end New Zealand’s drug war once and for all. And he almost managed it! 

00:00 Intro
02:17 Meeting rock star and drug entrepreneur Matt Bowden
04:33 The rise of dangerous synthetic drugs 

Watch more from this series:

The Opioid Crisis Sweeping Africa 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4MZEkFu8PE&t=24s 

Why Mexican Cartels Use American Guns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=388wlVWxGz0 

The Female Cartel Bosses of Latin America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Au-g2_gBkGo 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw613M86o5o4S3BXgi3bCiIVuopQxIMgV

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