Episode 3: What’s a Friend?

About this episode

Tina Wong reflects on her complex friendship and the difficult choices she faces as a mother involved in drug trafficking.

Being only half Chinese, Tina Wong felt like an outsider growing up in Chinatown. But then she met another girl who was a natural leader and included her in the pack. After they grew up, that friend would eventually recruit her to accept and move packages of heroin. Now Tina faces a choice: betray her old friend, or condemn her baby daughter to growing up without a mom. Get early, ad-free access to the entire season of The Chinatown Sting by subscribing to Pushkin+. Subscribers also get bonus episodes, exclusive binges, full audiobooks, and early ad-free listening for all Pushkin shows.  Subscribe on Apple: apple.co/pushkin Subscribe on Pushkin: pushkin.com/plus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Guest: Tina Wong

Topics covered

• identity
• friendship
• drug trafficking
• parenthood
• betrayal

Keywords

• Chinatown
• heroin
• outsider
• betrayal
• motherhood
• friendship
• drug trade

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pushkin Industries

More episodes of The Chinatown Sting

• Grandson of a Paper Son · October 28, 2025 · 30 min
• Life as a Flying Dragon · October 21, 2025 · 29 min
• Episode 6: A Sense of Order · October 14, 2025 · 32 min
• Episode 5: The Mastermind · October 7, 2025 · 34 min
• Episode 4: A Ghost Hand · September 30, 2025 · 32 min
• Episode 2: Onionhead · September 16, 2025 · 41 min