"New data on opium and methamphetamine production in Myanmar from the United Nations puts the war-torn country at the epicenter of Asia's multi-billion-dollar illicit drug trade. Opium poppy cultivation rose 17% to over 53,000 hectares (131,000 acres) over the past year, the most in a decade, according to the latest opium survey of Myanmar by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC), published this week. Most notably, Myanmar is still the world's top opium producer."
"According to the UN, the combination of rising seizures and falling street prices suggest that production inside Myanmar continues to grow. Chinese cartels protected in the Golden Triangle "I wouldn't really say Myanmar as a country is a supplier, but there [are] criminal groups that are engaging in producing and trafficking this meth and heroin," Inshik Sim, the UNODC's illicit drugs research officer for the Asia Pacific region, told DW."
United Nations data show opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar rose 17% to over 53,000 hectares, the highest in a decade. Myanmar is the world's top opium producer, surpassing Afghanistan in 2023. Methamphetamine seizures across East and Southeast Asia reached a record 236 tons in 2024, with most of the drug believed to be produced in Myanmar. The UN reports that rising seizures alongside falling street prices indicate growing domestic production. Criminal cartels, many moving in from China, operate under protection of warlords in Shan state, and the 2021 military coup and ensuing civil war have created favorable conditions for illicit drug production.
Read at www.dw.com
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