Civil war in Myanmar sees increase in drug trafficking into Thailand

In a worrying development, the trafficking of methamphetamine, commonly known as Yaba, from Myanmar into Thailand has witnessed a significant increase in recent weeks. According to Thai military sources, this surge is attributed to the pressing financial requirements of anti-junta ethnic forces in Myanmar.

A coordinated effort by Thai military, police, and anti-narcotics officials yesterday resulted in the seizure of approximately 15 million meth tablets across multiple provinces, including Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Phitsanuloke.

In Phitsanuloke, anti-narcotics officers intercepted a ten-wheel truck, alongside two cars and two vans, at a farm products yard in Wat Bot district. Subsequently, six individuals were apprehended, and authorities discovered around eight million meth pills concealed within the truck.

Meanwhile, in Chiang Mai province, troops from the Third Army Region encountered a group of six men carrying backpacks along the Thai-Myanmar border in Piang Luang sub-district of Wiang Haeng district yesterday night.

A confrontation ensued as the men opened fire on the troops before retreating into Myanmar. Upon investigating the area at daybreak, troops uncovered six abandoned backpacks, each containing 200,000 meth pills.

In a separate incident in Chiang Rai province, troops from the Pa Muang Task Force, along with narcotic suppression officers, tracked a pickup truck and a sedan suspected of involvement in drug trafficking from the border in Mae Fah Luang district to a meeting point in Mueng district.

Following surveillance, officials made arrests and seized 31 sacks containing approximately six million meth tablets from the truck.

Commander of the Narcotic Drugs Interdiction Task Force, General Narit Thawornwong revealed that the intercepted drug shipment was destined for Lampang for temporary storage before distribution to other provinces.

He emphasised the concerning escalation in the smuggling of illegal narcotics, particularly Yaba, from Myanmar into northern Thailand, citing the intensifying conflict between the government and the anti-junta ethnic forces as a contributing factor, reported Thai PBS.