December 11th, 1980. Geraldo Rivera introduced on 20/20 ABC news with his special report on heroin proliferation; where, why, and how.
“What you’re about to see is the product of a six month investigation that took us 20,000 miles, to 3 continents, 2 dozen cities and into the lives of hundreds of people…”
After synopsis concerning rising heroin use, we get to part 1 of Geraldo’s investigation beginning with junkies talking about why they use. Visiting the desperately poor, we learn how shooting up also seems to be entering the mainstream.
Geraldo is then in the golden crescent of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran seeing where the drugs originate and details how they get to the United States. The clip ends with statistics from Mathea Falco, Assistant Secretary of State Narcotics.
This day, Geraldo’s television history.