Europe's drug mafia (1/2) - How drugs made the Netherlands rich

For centuries, Dutch prosperity has been based on global trade. But this has always had a dark side. Drugs, like opium and cocaine, are traded too. | Watch Part 2: • Europe's drug mafia (2/2) - The weakness o...

The first part of this documentary shows how the Netherlands became the European hub for narcotics.

As early as the 17th century, Dutch colonialism laid the foundation for a lucrative drug trade. Opium from Indonesia financed the rise of the trading empire. This was followed by the cultivation of coca plants on Java - which formed the basis for Amsterdam's early cocaine production. Even when international bans officially ended the trade during World War I, the system survived, underground. In the interwar period, an illegal market emerged and continues to have an impact today.

After the Second World War, drug trafficking initially seemed to be a thing of the past.

Episodio siguiente

S2026E71 - Europe's drug mafia (2/2) - The weakness of states