{"id":57390,"date":"2025-05-27T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/exponential-rise-in-synthetic-drug-production-and-trafficking-in-the-golden-triangle\/"},"modified":"2025-05-27T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T12:00:00","slug":"exponential-rise-in-synthetic-drug-production-and-trafficking-in-the-golden-triangle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=57390","title":{"rendered":"Exponential rise in synthetic drug production and trafficking in the Golden Triangle"},"content":{"rendered":"


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According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the production and trafficking of methamphetamine \u2013 an illegal synthetic stimulant \u2013 have risen sharply since 2021, particularly in Myanmar\u2019s Shan State.<\/p>\n

UNODC emphasised that both the scale of production and the flow of trafficking in Shan State have \u201csignificantly\u201d increased over the past few years.<\/p>\n

Record seizures<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A record 236 tons of methamphetamine (commonly known as meth) was seized in East and Southeast Asia in 2024, a 24 per cent increase from 2023.<\/p>\n

However, \u201cthe 236 tons represent only the amount seized\u201d and it\u2019s likely that much more is reaching the streets and illicit market, said Benedikt Hofmann from UNODC, describing the amount as \u201cunprecedented.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seizures in Southeast Asia represent 85 per cent of the total, with Thailand alone seizing one billion meth tablets.<\/p>\n

Conducive conditions<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While Thailand remains the main transit and destination point, the drug is mostly produced in Myanmar\u2019s Shan State.<\/p>\n

Amid the ongoing civil war involving multiple armed groups, Myanmar\u2019s military regime is experiencing instability and governance challenges that are fuelling the illicit production of synthetic and other drugs.<\/p>\n

Although certain areas of Myanmar have been spared from the ongoing conflict and remain stable, \u201cthe ongoing crisis in Myanmar is further increasing the need for proceeds from the drug trade,\u201d said Mr. Hofmann.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis combination of conflict and stability has created favourable conditions for the expansion of drug production impacting countries across the region and beyond,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Expanding trafficking routes<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One of the fastest-growing meth trafficking routes in East and Southeast Asia stretches from Myanmar\u2019s Shan State to Cambodia.<\/p>\n

Cambodian authorities notably reported seizing nearly 10 tons of methamphetamine in 2024, representing \u201cby far the largest methamphetamine seizure in history,\u201d said UNODC.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trafficking route connecting Cambodia with Myanmar, primarily through Lao People\u2019s Democratic Republic, has been rapidly expanding,\u201d said Inshik Sim, an analyst with UNODC.<\/p>\n

As transnational drug trafficking groups continue to exploit new routes to avoid law enforcement, the trafficking corridors connecting Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines are becoming another \u201cincreasingly significant corridor,\u201d Mr. Sim added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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