A drug-burning ceremony held in Laos' Xam Neu, a small northeastern town that is a gateway to Vietnam and a popular trafficking route (Photo: AFP/Aidan JONES) Hanoi (VNA) – Laos, Myanmar and Thailand set fire to narcotics stockpiles to highlight their support toward the UN International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking (June 26).
On June 26, Lao authorities burned around 40 kilogrammes of heroin and tens of thousands of "yaba" pills – which contain caffeine and methamphetamine – in Xam Neua, a small northeastern town that is a gateway to Vietnam and a popular route for drug traffickers.
Sharing borders with five countries, Laos is a key transit route for Myanmar-made meth as well as a producer of opium, the raw ingredient of heroin.
The same day, Myanmar burned a huge stockpile of pills, cannabis, heroin and opium in Yangon.
Similar ceremonies were also held in Mandalay and Taunggyi, destroying narcotics worth 187 million USD in total.
One day earlier, Thailand destroyed more than six tonnes of narcotics, with methamphetamine making up the majority.
Thailand uncovered several major drug rings, seizing large volume of illegal drugs worth tens of millions of USD this year.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has urged countries in the Golden Triangle to address corruption to stop the illicit drug trade in the region, estimated to be valued at 40 billion USD.-VNA
VNA
