To mark the 39th International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the Myanmar government destroyed a large quantity of seized drugs and precursor chemicals.
According to official data, drugs and precursor chemicals worth $603.77 million (about 2.47 billion ringgit) seized from across the country were destroyed during the event on the 26th. The drugs destroyed in Yangon, Mandalay, and Taunggyi were valued at over $321 million, nearly $114 million, and nearly $169 million, respectively.
The drugs destroyed included heroin, opium, stimulant tablets, methamphetamine, cannabis, ketamine, hallucinogens, and ecstasy, among others.
Agence France-Presse quoted analysts as saying that since the military coup in 2021 triggered civil war, the collapse of the Myanmar government has allowed all sides to profit from the illegal drug trade. In 2021, after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan and strictly cracked down on opium, Myanmar became the world's largest producer of opium.
According to data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Myanmar is also currently the largest producer of methamphetamine in Southeast Asia.