The United Nations criminal agency claims it has recorded the largest drug seizure ever recorded in Southeast Asia.
Police in Laos intercepted a truck carrying 55 million amphetamine tablets and over 1.5 tons of crystalline methamphetamines.
The discovery came after police stopped a truck carrying crates of beer in Bokeo, on the border with Thailand and Myanmar.
The area – known as the Golden Triangle – has a long history of being a major hotspot for drug production.
Jeremy Douglas, Southeast Asia Regional Representative for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said it was “by far the largest kidnapping in East and Southeast Asian history. “.
The record comes after police recently seized a total of 16 million amphetamine tablets in two separate operations in the same area over a period of one week.
In the United Kingdom, amphetamine tablets are Class B and crystal methamphetamine is Class A.
There has been a significant increase in the Golden Triangle drug supply in recent months due to unrest in Myanmar’s Shan state, which borders China, Laos and Thailand, Douglas told the BBC.
“The neighbors and the entire region are completely inundated with methamphetamine, and there is no doubt that it is linked to the governance situation in the Shan,” he said.
Strict Covid and security measures at Yunnan’s Chinese border with Myanmar “appear to be at least part of the reason traffic has increased east to Laos and south to Thailand” to avoid losses, he added.
The huge loot was packed in crates of Lao Brewery beer.
The Lao Brewery Company said it “has no involvement in this case”.
“We are deeply disappointed that our coffers have been abused as a cover for illegal activities and will not hesitate to take immediate illegal action against anyone who abuses our company assets,” a statement read.
Related topics
- Laos
- Drug trade
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