Chang Chi-fu, or more generally known as Khun Sa, was born on 17 February 1934, was a Shan drug kingpin and war lord, who became famous for eventually running the largest opium business in the Golden Triangle in Asia.
So how much is Khun Sa’s net worth? As of mid 2017, based on authoritative sources it is reported to be $5 billion, acquired from his years as a drug and war lord.
Khun Sa Net Worth $5 Billion
Born in Hpa Hpeung village, located in the Loi Maw ward of Monyai, (then) British Burma, Khun Sa came from a small poor family. His father was Chinese while his mother was a Shan. He didn’t receive any formal education but trained as a soldier in his youth. He joined the Kuomintang army and fought in the Chinese Civil War in the 1940’s, but escaped to Burma after defeat.
With his experience in the military, Khun Sa decided to form his own army in 1963 and called it Ka Kwe Ye, actually joining an alliance with Gen Ne Win’s Burmese government to fight against the Shan State Army, and in return they provided them financial assistance, weapons and uniform. His early years fighting with the government helped begin his net worth.
When his army grew to almost a thousand, Khun Sa decided to cut ties with the government, and then took control of opium production in Shan and Wa states, subsequently smuggling opium to many parts of the world, that helped increase his wealth tremendously.
By the late ‘60s, Khun Sa’s army and the remnants of the Kuomintang in the Shan State clashed. His army was defeated which led to the weakening of his power. In 1969, he was captured by the Rangoon government but was eventually freed in 1973 when his army captured two Russian doctors and ransomed them in exchange for his release.
In 1976, Khun Sa once again went back to opium smuggling and transferred his new base to northern Thailand; he also renamed his group the Shan United Army.
Despite international efforts to bring him down, Khun Sa continued to thrive. In 1985, he joined forces with the Tai Revolutionary Council of Moh Heng and formed a new army called Mong Tain. With a stronger team behind him, he also grew his opium business, and took control of most of the Golden Triangle, the northern parts of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos.
From 1974 to 1994, Khun Sa’s team was named as those responsible for supplying the streets of New York of most of its heroine. From a measly 5%, their share in the supply of heroine grew to 80%. His growing control of the industry tremendously increased his net worth over the years.
In 1989, Khun Sa tried to import 1,000 tons of heroine in New York but was charged by one of the courts of the states. He released a statement that he was offering his opium business to the government of the United States, or he would sell it to the international market. Despite his efforts to blackmail the US government, they didn’t relent.
In 1996, Khun Sa was rumoured to have surrendered to the Burmese government to avoid the charges he was likely to face in the United States. Although he was never arrested, he spent the remaining years of his life in the Rangoon area.
In terms of his personal life, Khun Sa was married to Nan Kyayon and together they had eight children.
Khun Sa passed away in 2007 but the cause of his death was never publicly revealed, although it is believed that he had suffered from diabetes, high blood pressure and partial paralysis during the last years of his life.
Khun Sa also gained mainstream fame when he was portrayed by Ric Young in the movie “American Gangster”.
