NZH Presents: Mr Asia - A Forgotten History

For much of the 1970s, Marty Johnstone operated as one of New Zealand’s most notorious drug dealers.

Dubbed ‘Mr Asia’ by journalists, Johnstone rose from North Shore menswear salesman to head of a global heroin empire.

But his life at the top was short lived. In November 1979, his mutilated body was found in a quarry in Lancashire, England. He was just 27 when he was murdered, killed by his best friend, Andy Maher.

The epic rise and rapid fall of the country’s most infamous drug gang is retold in Mr Asia: A Forgotten History, a new six-part podcast series from the New Zealand Herald and Bird of Paradise Productions.

Here’s a snippet from episode one, 'When Terry Met Marty'.

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