The acclaimed true crime historian reveals the violent world of illegal drug trafficking across the British Empire in this "truly gripping exposé" (Ian Knight, author of Zulu Rising ). In 1908, British reformers banned the export of Indian opium to China. As a result, the price of opium soared across the globe, ushering in a century of lucrative drug smuggling. Organized criminals throughout the British Empire grew rich on the trade of illegal narcotics. Empire of Crime explores this untold chapter of true crime history. Empire of Crime is packed with larger-than-life heroes and villains, including US international drug-buster Harry J. Anslinger, Shanghai underworld master criminal Du Yue-sheng, and tough North-West Frontier police chief Lieutenant Colonel Roos-Keppel, nemesis of Afghan criminal gangs. The book shows how gangsters exploited the Empire's global trade routes to establish criminal networks across the world. In many ways, these early drug dealers were the forerunners of today's cartels. Digging deep into colonial archives, author Tim Newark weaves hidden reports, secret government files, and personal letters together with first-hand accounts to tell this epic story of the battle between law enforcement and organized crime.