Criminal networks have grown around Southeast Asia’s special economic zones, where regulations are loose and casinos offer a convenient front. But when Covid-19 halted business, casinos went online, massively expanding their client bases – and organised crime moved with them.
When the Jakarta police entered a toy warehouse in April, they were not shopping for their children. In what was the country's biggest drug bust of the past two years, 90kg of high-purity crystal methamphetamine was uncovered.