In 2018, the US Treasury Department slapped sanctions on the Kings Romans casino empire that dominates the area, accusing it of being linked to a network involved in “horrendous illicit activities” including drug, human and wildlife trafficking and child prostitution.
At the time, casino owner Zhao Wei denied the allegations, charging that the US was guilty of “malicious rumour-mongering”.
The ICG said it had identified a possible bear and tiger farm within the Golden Triangle, which was marked as a “zoo” but was allegedly a facility for breeding the protected species for wildlife trafficking. The site was not open to the public.
Tiger bone wine was spotted on sale in the enclave, which the vendor said was locally produced, the ICG added.
The report also claims a Lao women’s rights organisation is involved in widespread human trafficking of…
