Hanoi (VNA) – The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on May 28 published a report showing that 190 tonnes of methamphetamine was seized in East and Southeast Asia in 2023, a record level.
Drug trafficking has affected Southeast Asia for decades, with Shan state in Myanmar the leading source of synthetic drugs in the region. Much of it is produced in illegal labs in areas controlled by ethnic minority armed groups near the Thai border.
Thailand is a major transit route for illicit drugs from the so-called Golden Triangle region where the north of the kingdom, Laos and Myanmar meet.
UNODC representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific Masood Karimipour said organised crime groups are lowering the production costs and scaling up production by using non-controlled chemicals.
The UN warned that new synthetic drug products are emerging on the market aimed at young users./.
