East and South-east Asia meth seizures hit record 190 tonnes in 2023: UN

BANGKOK – A record quantity of methamphetamine was seized in East and South-east Asia in 2023 as organised crime groups boosted production, the UN said on May 28.

Drug trafficking has affected South-east 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.

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said a record 190 tonnes of methamphetamine had been seized in East and South-east Asia in 2023.

After dropping slightly in 2022, seizures of methamphetamine rebounded in 2023 to the highest ever recorded, UNODC said in its annual report on synthetic drugs in the region.

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.

The UN office said large shipments of more than a tonne of methamphetamine were seized en route to or on maritime routes throughout 2023 and into early 2024.

Earlier in May, the

Thai authorities intercepted a tonne of crystal methamphetamine

in one of the kingdom’s biggest ever single seizures of the illegal drug.

Drug gangs are changing their recipes to increase their output, UNODC said.

“Organised crime groups are lowering the production costs and scaling up production by using non-controlled chemicals,” said Mr Masood Karimipour, the organisation’s representative for South-east Asia and the Pacific, in a statement.

Greater production is enabling bigger shipments, which are driving down prices, he added.

Despite the large volumes of seizures and high inflation, prices of methamphetamine and ketamine have continued to fall, the office said.

The wholesale price of methamphetamine is now reaching as low as US$400 (S$539) per kg in production areas, it said.

New synthetic drug products are emerging on the market aimed at young users, the UN warned.

So-called “happy water” sachets and

“party lollipops”

– containing unpredictable mixes of substances such as ketamine, MDMA and benzodiazepines – are becoming increasingly available. AFP