Myanmar authorities have conducted a drug burn, destroying over $446mn worth of illegal drugs seized from various parts of the country, ABC news reports.
The initiative took place on June 26 to commemorate an international anti-drug trafficking day. This move comes amid concerns raised by United Nations (UN) experts about the escalating production of opium, heroin, and methamphetamine in Myanmar, which poses a threat to South and Southeast Asian markets.
Myanmar has long been associated with drug production, a consequence of political and economic instability stemming from prolonged armed conflicts. Despite repeated efforts to encourage impoverished farmers to cultivate legal crops, the nation remains a significant producer and exporter of methamphetamine. It also ranks as the world's second-largest opium and heroin producer, following Afghanistan.
The incineration of seized drugs worth $207mn took place in Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar. The substances destroyed included opium, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, kratom, ketamine, and crystal meth, also known as ice. Simultaneously, authorities destroyed drugs in Mandalay, a central city, and Taunggyi, the capital of eastern Shan state, both closer to major drug production and distribution areas.
The drug burn coincided with the UN's International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, highlighting the global commitment to combating the illicit drug trade. In 2022, Myanmar authorities burned over $642mn worth of seized drugs in similar initiatives.
Experts have voiced concerns that the political unrest triggered by the military takeover in Myanmar two years ago has contributed to increased drug production. The report from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) earlier this year revealed a significant rise in opium cultivation since the military seized power, with poppy cultivation increasing by a third in the past year. Reduced eradication efforts and a struggling economy have pushed more individuals into the drug trade. The report estimated opium production to be 400 metric tons (440 tons) in 2020, increasing slightly in 2021 and spiking to an estimated 790 metric tons (870 tons) in 2022.
The UN agency has warned of a substantial surge in methamphetamine production in recent years, leading to decreased prices and the utilization of new smuggling routes to reach markets. The military government of Myanmar has accused certain ethnic armed organizations controlling remote territories of producing illicit drugs to finance their insurgencies. These groups are believed to be uncooperative in the country's peace process as they benefit from the drug trade and are unwilling to relinquish those gains. Historically, rebel ethnic groups have employed drug profits to fund their pursuit of greater autonomy from the central government.
Myanmar primarily exports opium, heroin, and methamphetamine to other Southeast Asian countries and China. The illicit drug trade in the region continues to pose a significant challenge, necessitating robust international collaboration to combat drug production, trafficking, and consumption.
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