DRUGS WORTH $1.04 BILLION CONFISCATED IN SOUTHEAST ASIA’S GOLDEN TRIANGLE

Image Courtesy: Interpol twitter..

Wed 11 September 2024:

A total of $1.04 billion indrugshave been confiscated after a 16-day Interpol operation with South Korea and six other nations, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported Wednesday.

The operation was conducted in Thailand, Myanmar and Laos — dubbed the Golden Triangle — where 29 convicts were arrested.

Police said the operation codenamed “Lionfish-Mayag II.” was conducted from July 22 to Aug. 7.

The U.S., Cambodia and Australia aided the operation.

About 1.5 tons of ketamine was among the drugs seized.

Record seizures underscore expanding synthetic drug trade 💊💰

An international operation against drug trafficking in Southeast Asia led to record seizures of synthetic drugs valued at some USD 1.05 billion.

Read the full story 🔗➡ https://t.co/7lvYF7osmU pic.twitter.com/fdZ4M5Q1CZ

— INTERPOL 🚨 #ForASaferWorld (@INTERPOL_HQ) September 11, 2024

Myanmar overtakes Afghanistan

Myanmar is now the world’s largest producer of opium, overtaking Afghanistan, a UN report says.

Its opium production this year is estimated to rise by 36% to 1,080 tonnes, far ahead of the 330 tonnes Afghanistan reportedly produced.

Poppy cultivation in Afghanistan dropped by 95% after a drug ban by the ruling Taliban last year.

Rising prices for the crop have also drawn more people into growing it. The pandemic and the dire state of Myanmar’s economy has also made opium cultivation a more reliable and attractive form of employment. A dismal new report by the World Bank says it expects “little growth” in the country.

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Golden Triangle

The Golden Triangle, a region where Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar meet, is notorious for being one of the world’s largest drug-producing areas. Historically, the region was a major hub for opium and heroin production, fueled by its remote, mountainous terrain and weak law enforcement. Throughout the 20th century, warlords and ethnic militias operated opium poppy fields, particularly in Myanmar, making the area synonymous with heroin trafficking.

In recent decades, the drug trade has shifted focus, with methamphetamine (“yaba”) becoming the dominant drug produced. Myanmar remains the epicenter of production, with drugs smuggled through porous borders into Thailand, China, and beyond. The trade is controlled by transnational crime syndicates and is worth billions of dollars, contributing to widespread corruption, violence, and social problems in the region.

Efforts to combat the drug trade have had limited success due to political instability, corruption, and the sheer scale of operations. The Golden Triangle remains a critical hotspot in the global drug economy.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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