YANGON/PHNOM PENH (Bernama): Myanmar anti-narcotics agents have smashed a drug ring believed to be behind the smuggling of large quantities of drugs into Malaysia.
The syndicate was crippled following the arrest of six suspects during counternarcotics operations in Shwepyitha Township in Yangon on Sept 5, reported state media The Global New Light of Myanmar today.
Police discovered 1,840 kg of Ice (methamphetamine), four million stimulant tablets, and 14 kg of heroin stacked in a warehouse.
"The group is engaged in large-scale drug trafficking to secure funds for its operations and to purchase weapons and ammunition.
"The drugs were reportedly purchased from Shan State and given the order to transport the drugs to Malaysia,” said authorities, according to the state media.
The report said the individuals were linked to the AA terrorist group, referring to the ethnic armed group Arakan Army, which is engaged in clashes with the government military in the western coastal state of Rakhine.
According to investigators, the AA group's illicit drug market stretches from Bangladesh and Malaysia to Western countries and the Middle East.
Government forces are currently waging a war with at least 20 armed ethnic groups in parts of the country.
In a similar operation in August, amphetamine pills, ice, and ketamine worth an estimated RM300 million (US$71 million) were seized after several kingpins were detained.
In the latest operation, at least 20 suspects were involved in the narcoterrorism activities that use maritime routes to reach Malaysian shores, according to Myanmar officials.
Myanmar continues to grapple with the menace of narcotics amid numerous attempts to destroy the well-organised syndicates behind the cross-border crime.
In June, to mark the annual International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the government destroyed nearly RM1.26 billion (US$300 million) worth of narcotics that were confiscated during security operations.
According to the Myanmar Opium Survey 2022 by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), opium cultivation in the country had increased to 40,000 hectares compared to 30,200 hectares the year before. Conflict-ridden Shan state dominates opium cultivation. - Bernama
