Cocaine of the Ocean: Inside the Chinese Totoaba Cartel

Video Description

Junchung Wu is the head of a criminal network which traffics in endangered totoaba fish, one of the most powerful criminal networks on the planet. The totoaba fish is known as the cocaine of the sea, because one kilo of totoaba is worth even more than the same weight of cocaine. Totoaba swim bladders are used in Chinese traditional medicine, which has driven up the value of the fish. The traffic of totoaba is considered to be one of the most violent illicit trades in the world, and China requested Interpol to issue the red notice on Junchung Wu who is currently believed to be in Tijuana, Mexico. The traffickers catch totoaba fish with gillnets which are indiscriminate killers of the endemic species. They entrap other animals such as the Vaquita Porpoise, which is critically endangered with as few as ten specimens left in the wild. The nets also trap sea turtles and other vulnerable species. Meanwhile investigators face the risk of violence, and report having been attacked by poachers, their boats stormed, and even hit with Molotov cocktails. The illicit trade is managed by the Sinoloa cartel in Mexico, via the so-called Sea Cartel, alongside the Chinese mafia who provide the finances and are the key to the whole supply chain. We meet those who are determined to bring him to justice and to stop the violent trade which is killing our planet. ------ We have the stories that global corporations don't want you to know. Our channel is home to award-winning investigations, current affairs and revealing documentaries that challenge unchecked global powers and give you the real, human stories behind the headlines. Want to understand more about our world? Want to delve beyond news headlines and understand global issues more deeply? Subscribe to DISPATCH for all this and more. Make sure to hit notifications to never miss a new release!