Derek Tsang, the filmmaker known for directing Better Days and the series 3 Body Problem, has been attached to direct and executive produce a new true-crime drama. The project, titled Group 41, centers on the first Asian-American squad within the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The series is currently being presented at the Taiwan Creative Content Fest in Taipei.
Developed by Jonah Greenberg through his production company Salty Pictures, the show is designed as a 10-episode limited series with episodes running 45 minutes each. The narrative begins in New York City in 1986. At that time, the DEA was primarily focused on Colombian cocaine cartels and the five families of the Mafia. In contrast, a small group of Asian-American agents joined forces with an ambitious Irish prosecutor who went by the nickname The Dragon Lady.
Together, these individuals formed DEA Group 41. This unit became the first squad to pursue the No. 4 heroin that was entering the United States through a network that had largely gone unnoticed. Over the following decade, the initially underfunded group evolved into an elite international task force. Their targets included Johnny Kon, a Hong Kong crime boss with a triad empire spanning five continents, and Johnny Onionhead Eng, a fierce Chinatown gangster. The squad also targeted Khun Sa, a warlord in the Golden Triangle who commanded a narco-army of 20,000 soldiers.
The series aims to explore themes of immigration and prejudice while examining the cost of the American Dream from both sides of the law. Greenberg, a former managing director at CAA’s China office, co-wrote the source material with Marc Iserlis and Aidan Swift. Both Iserlis and Swift are also serving as producers and writers on the series. Greenberg noted that while modern law enforcement dramas are popular, surveillance technology often gives police an unfair advantage in current stories.
According to Greenberg, the danger was more tangible in the 1980s. He explained that going undercover meant going deep, and both criminals and law enforcement carried guns, creating a real risk for agents and informants. He added that these crimes and the agents who solved them were largely overlooked by the media at the time. It was not considered as exciting to work on Chinese cases in the 1980s, as audiences were more focused on shows like Miami Vice and Rudy Giuliani’s prosecutions of Italian mobsters.
Greenberg described the project as an underdog story about a war on drugs that was won but remains largely unknown to the public. He sees potential for multiple seasons within the ten-year saga, with Khun Sa serving as a looming final target comparable to Colonel Kurtz. This structure provides a save the best for last advantage for the series.
The source material is a 180-page nonfiction book titled The Incredible Story of D.E.A. Group 41 & The Rise and Fall of the Asian Heroin Trade, which is scheduled for publication next year. The production team has the cooperation of the real people involved. Taiwan’s Each Other Films, co-founded by producer Tiffany Yu-chia Chen, is a co-production partner, and Adam Berkowitz of Lenore Entertainment Group is serving as an executive producer.
After seven years of development, the next steps include finding a writer-showrunner and potentially attaching cast members before pitching to platforms next year. Greenberg said he remains committed to the project because it tells the story of people driven by purpose, such as Cathy Palmer and the agents of Group 41, who dismantled a heroin pipeline from Southeast Asia to the U.S. He compared their code to the character in the film Serpico.
At the Taiwan Creative Content Fest, the team is looking to understand how local incentives can help offset the budget. They are also exploring distribution opportunities in Asia. The goal is to secure production, financing, and potentially distribution efficiently before approaching U.S. platforms. The festival, organized by the Taiwan Creative Content Agency, runs from November 6 to 9 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center.
