Drug Ship: The Last Voyage of the Pong Su – The Age/The Sydney Herald

The thrilling true story behind an international drug plot involving the rogue state of North Korea, south-east Asian drug lords, $100 million worth of heroin, spooks, sailors, Australian cops and a web of lies.

  1. “Do they surf in North Korea?” – BBC / “This f—ing boat” – The Age
    North Korean cargo ship the Pong Su comes dangerously close to Australia’s shipwreck coastline in a high-risk, high-reward operation to import a record amount of heroin. Coastal locals have never seen anything like it.
  2. Master Sun’s big gamble
    Pong Su skipper Song Man Sun embarks on his final journey before retirement, while Australian police get a big break as they covertly track suspected Asian crime syndicate foot soldiers around Melbourne’s casino and the nearby surf coast.
  3. Going Fishing
    Secretly bugged conversations give Australian police clues about the immense scale of the heroin import. On board the Pong Su, two men prepare to risk everything to make it happen.
  4. “Do you believe in luck?”
    Tension among the Asian crime syndicate members is at breaking point, while Australian police keep finding their best laid plans are going astray. A dead body on the beach throws everyone off their game.
  5. Hot pursuit
    A dramatic chase at sea unfolds to stop a fleeing Pong Su. The North Korean crew fear the worst for their Master after they are told by radio message from Pyongyan to stop and fight.
  6. Hidden Forces
    Was Kim Jong II’s secretive money making agency behind the Pong Su heroin importation? A high-profile North Korean defector speaks out.
  7. You need a lawyer
    The legal battle begins to save the Pong Su crew and a special relationship builds between a suburban Melbourne solicitor and an enigmatic North Korean man who has everyone guessing.
  8. The defector’s choice
    Australian prosecutors travel to Seoul to meet North Korean defectors as they try to understand the power structure on board the Pong Su. While lab results tell police there is something different about the Pong Su’s heroin.
  9. The most free they’d ever be
    Nerves are frayed on all sides as a marathon courtroom case concludes. The Australian government plans for a spectacular end to the Pong Su.
  10. Reckoning
    After 16 years, the truth finally emerges about the tight bond between three of the key players in the heroin import and their ties to North Korea.