Thick clouds of black smoke billowed into the sky on the outskirts of Myanmar’s largest city Friday as authorities burned more than 50 tons of heroin, opium, ketamine, methamphetamine, marijuana and crystal meth – some USD 600 million of confiscated illegal drugs destroyed nationwide.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, has a long history of drug production linked to political and economic insecurity caused by decades of armed conflict. It has been a major source of illegal drugs destined for East and Southeast Asia, despite repeated efforts to crack down, and has long been one of the world’s largest producers of heroin and methamphetamine. Violent political unrest in Myanmar following the military takeover in 2021 – which has led into a civil war between the military government and its pro-democracy opponents, as well as ethnic armed groups – has caused an increase in drug production, according to experts.