Opium Inc. cover art

Opium Inc.

 Preview
Free with 30-day trial
Prime logo New to Audible Prime Member exclusive:
2 credits with free trial
1 credit a month to use on any title to download and keep
Listen to anything from the Plus Catalogue—thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts and audiobooks
Download titles to your library and listen offline
₹199 per month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.

Opium Inc.

Written by: Thomas Manuel, Jehaan Dhalla
Narrated by: Jehaan Dhalla
Free with 30-day trial

₹199 per month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for ₹268.00

Buy Now for ₹268.00

About this listen

This is the story of the world's biggest drug deal.


In the nineteenth century, the British East India Company operated a triangle of trade that straddled the globe, running from India to China to Britain. From India to China, they took opium. From China to Britain, they took tea. From Britain to India, they brought empire. It was a machine that consumed cheap Indian land and labour and spat out money.

The British had two problems, though. They were importing enormous amounts of tea from China, but the Celestial Empire looked down on British goods and only wanted silver in return. Simultaneously, the expanding colony in India was proving far too expensive to maintain. The British solved both problems with opium, which became the source of income on which they built their empire.

For more than a century, the British knew that the drug was dangerous and continued to trade in it anyway. Its legacy in India, whether the poverty of Bihar or the wealth of Bombay, is still not acknowledged. Like many colonial institutions in India, the story of opium is one of immense pain for many and huge privileges for a few.

Asia Colonialism & Post-Colonialism Europe Great Britain India Politics & Government South Asia
All stars
Most relevant
This was an absolute joy to listen to. The research put behind this book is phenomenal and the structure and breakdown is exquisite.
The narrator does a superb job. His voice is even and flows with ease.

Beautifully structured and well researched

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Unmasks the hypocrisy of the Western world in espousing concepts such as 'human rights', 'free trade', 'war on drugs', 'american exceptionalism', 'racial superiority', 'superior faith', 'christian values', etc. etc. It's no accident that the Western nations are so wealthy- they have steadily leached out the wealth of the east into their own coffers by using artifice, subterfuge and outright criminality. The scale of the rapacious thievery of native resources, all while humiliating the native populace *across the globe* by one race, is truly shocking. Well written book.

Well Researched

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The subject of the book and the treatment of it is very engaging. Thomas Manuel does an amazing job of bringing out the less discussed but pivotal role of opium in the history of the British Empire, of India and China, bringing this piece of history to life with a lot of supporting evidence and a strong storytelling. I was engaged from start to end and it has given me a deeper understanding of the forces that has shaped India.

Jehaan Dhalla's narration was mostly good - my only gripe would be an occasionally heavy accent and some mispronunciations.

Insightful peek into a less known topic

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Eye opening history of the role played by the opium cultivation and trade in India and China.

Very Insightful!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The story of how The British used opium to fund their Empire is fascinating. Thomas Manual lays out the drug cartel operations of the EIC and the Empire in graphic detail.
In addition, he talks about the role of Indian traders in this business, something that was new to me.
Then, he covers additional areas like the use of opium in England and its fascination for the poets.
The history is engrossing, but I am glad he added a chapter on opium today. The revelation of the shady world of the CIA is eye-opening.
Good reading, if stilted by Jehaan Dhalla.

Fascinating Story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews