Myanmar police recently succeeded in dismantling a drug trafficking network suspected of smuggling large quantities of drugs to Malaysia.
According to the 'Myanmar Global New Light' newspaper on Saturday (13th), authorities launched an anti-narcotics operation in Yangon’s Shwepyitha Township on September 5, arresting six suspects and successfully dismantling the group.
Police seized 1,840 kilograms of methamphetamine, 4 million stimulant pills, and 14 kilograms of heroin from a warehouse.
Authorities indicated that the group was engaged in large-scale drug trafficking activities to obtain operating funds and purchase weapons and ammunition.
"According to reports, the drugs were purchased in Shan State and were ordered to be shipped to Malaysia."
The report mentioned that the individuals involved are linked to the Arakan Army (AA) terrorist organization, an armed ethnic group continuously engaged in clashes with government troops in the western coastal Rakhine State.
Investigators revealed that the Arakan Army's illicit drug market spans Bangladesh, Malaysia, Western countries, and the Middle East.
Currently, the Myanmar military is fighting at least 20 armed ethnic organizations.
In a similar operation in August, police seized amphetamines, methamphetamine, and ketamine worth about 300 million ringgit (US$71 million), and arrested several drug lords.
According to Myanmar officials, at least 20 suspects were involved in using maritime routes to smuggle drugs to the Malaysian coast in the recent operation, in what authorities describe as drug-related terrorism.
Despite multiple attempts by authorities to dismantle organized cross-border criminal groups, Myanmar still remains deeply threatened by drugs.
This June, coinciding with International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the Myanmar government destroyed narcotics worth nearly 1.26 billion ringgit that were seized during security operations.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime's '2022 Myanmar Opium Survey Report' shows Myanmar’s opium cultivation area expanded from 30,200 hectares in the previous year to 40,000 hectares, with conflict-ridden Shan State being the main opium-producing region.