Andy Greenberg

And the Golden Triangle compounds are not like that.

In part because the Golden Triangle itself is almost like a mega compound.

The victims of these human trafficking operations, even if they walk around outside the building where they work or even the dormitory where they live, their passport has been taken away.

The police have very often been paid off by the compound mafia.

They can't really leave regardless.

So they have a surprising freedom of movement because the whole place is essentially like a closed circuit.

They were actually paid, in theory, a salary of like $500 a month or so in Chinese yuan.

But then that money was taken from them almost entirely through fines for every tiny violation that their bosses could think of.

They had access to a cafeteria where they were fed, but that food was withheld if they so much as

showed up late to work or late to like lights out in the dormitory.

So, you know, there was this illusion of them being there voluntarily, being paid a salary.

They were even, in theory, paid a commission on any scams they pulled off.

But Red Bull was entirely broke.

Like he had been scammed into absolute poverty, had no money whatsoever.

So it was a kind of Orwellian thing where the bosses would, you know, give people these inspirational speeches as if they were like part of some corporate sales force, like part of a car dealership or something.

And in fact, they were absolutely forced laborers with no choice about what they were doing and who faced really brutal consequences if they ever broke the rules or tried to escape.

They were going to do an in-person pickup of cash with a courier.

So Red Bull wanted me to arrange a sting operation to catch this courier and, you know, question this guy.

And he thought that that would be like a big win against the scam operation.

Erin thought there was no time to do a sting.