Khun Sa
Khun Sa ended up becoming a successful drug warlord in the years 1974-1982. Once the communists came to power in both Laos and South Vietnam in 1975, Khun Sa was able to get a much stronger hold over the drug trade as the KMT’s smuggling routes in the area were now disrupted. With all this newfound wealth came newfound power, and Khun Sa needed a way to secure and protect his power. Thus he set up the Shan United Army (SUA) which at its peak had 20,000 soldiers. Khun Sa’s drug empire continued to grow until the early 1980s when the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) estimated that “70% of heroin consumed in the USA came from his organization.” Thus, the DEA decided to take action.