Worth an estimated R1.28-trillion the business of Drugs Inc. fuels crime and violence like no other substance on the planet. Turning cartel leaders into billionaires, the illegal drug industry also provides vital income to hundreds of thousands of poor workers across the globe. While some users sacrifice their lives to an addiction they can’t escape, others find drugs to be their only saving grace from physical or emotional pain almost impossible to overcome. Where should the lines be drawn in this over a trillion rand industry?

From the farm fields and jungle labs where drugs like crack cocaine, ecstasy and hashish get their start to the front-door steps where recreational users and addicts alike have their drugs delivered.

Drugs Inc. also investigates relative newcomers like ketamine and oxycontin, designer drugs for the 21st century – and the covert industry of grand theft auto, which provides cartels with stolen vehicles customized for smuggling.

Episodes include:

Drugs Inc.: Hallucinogens
Once hailed as a magic bullet cure-all, psychedelic drugs are center stage of an underground movement experimenting with mind-altering substances as they explore a new medical frontier. Deep in the Amazon, Rob – a former Wall Street broker turned healer – has created a free clinic of sorts, administering a highly potent narcotic known as ayahuasca to patients desperate to escape powerful trauma. But, taking on others’ stress releases Rob’s own demons and a shaman must step in as Rob’s trip spirals dangerously out of control. Dimitri – a former heroin addict –helps drug users overcome addiction…using a controversial hallucinogen called ibogaine, and encounters dangerous side effects in the process. Turning to the power of mushrooms, one family man suffering from cluster headaches contemplated suicide before finding relief in this psychedelic trip, and a Swiss physician uses LSD to help terminal patients overcome fears of death.

Drugs Inc.: Crack
Fuelling crime and violence like no other drug on the planet, crack cocaine is deadly, addictive and users will do anything to get their hands on it. Addicts Jeff and Alexis are desperate for its intense high – turning to burglary, drug dealing and even prostitution. In Peru, GIan Carlos is 14-years old and addicted to paco – a highly toxic cocaine by-product sweeping the slums. Drug-trafficking generates $22-billion annually in Peru – nearly 17 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. Farmers harvest coca leaves to produce and smuggle cocaine and its lethal cousin, paco. Harvester “Diego” operates a clandestine cocaine kitchen where he produces high grade cocaine, for trafficking to Europe and America. Once crack cocaine crosses the U.S. border, it lines the pockets of dealers like “Mista” who markets his illegal business as a brand. But, police follow their every move, arresting dealers hitting the streets with their commodity.

Drugs Inc.: Hash
Smuggling hashish from the remote Moroccan Riff Mountains to the streets of Europe is a dirty, dangerous and deadly business. A former British gangster serves as guide into this illicit underworld, visiting a secret hash-making location nestled in the mountains. Using everything from hidden car compartments to donkeys, skis and drug mules – the smugglers’ key is to be as inconspicuous as possible…and make it out alive. Facing off at the frontline of Europe’s war on drugs, customs agents near Gibraltar seize 100 kilograms of hashish, but the huge haul barely scratches the surface. From Spain, smugglers like “Billy” strap blocks of hash onto their bodies and board flights to London and other areas in Europe. While smugglers take great risks, for some users, getting the drugs is as easy as walking into a coffee shop. But, despite this easy access, users still pay a heavy price – as seen at a local youth psychiatric clinic in Holland.

Drugs Inc.: Ecstasy
Dubbed as Christmas morning in a pill, penicillin for the soul is the drug ecsatsy. Known by users as the ultimate “love drug”, ecstasy’s euphoric high comes with major lows: ravers have died from it and organised crime gangs will kill for it. In California, students “dial-a-deal” – ordering the drug over the phone and having it delivered directly to their door before getting high. A simple transaction like this one turned deadly for one 23-year-old imprisoned dealer who delivered a deadly dose to a buyer – and friend – and now faces 20 years in prison. In Cambodia, rangers fight against ruthless crime gangs illegally harvesting hundreds of rare trees to produce key ecstasy ingredients. One of the biggest ecstasy traffickers shares how he dominated the ecstasy smuggling world, and a high-level ecstasy distributor in California outlines smuggling strategies for the 21st century.

Drugs Inc. is produced for National Geographic Channels International by Wall-to-Wall Media. For Wall-to-Wall Media, series producer is David Herman. For National Geographic Channels International, head of global programming is David Lyle.