Myanmar armed groups boost drug production to fund resistance

Armed ethnic groups in Myanmar are increasingly producing illicit drugs to fund their resistance against the Myanmar government, according to a senior Royal Thai Army (RTA) officer.

Deputy Commander of the Pha Muang Force, Colonel Meechai Nillasart, disclosed that these groups are using drug trafficking to finance their purchase of weapons and sustain their fighters.

The Pha Muang Force has seized a staggering 151 million methamphetamine pills so far this fiscal year, a significant increase from the 42 million pills confiscated in the same period last year. In addition, the unit has intercepted 256 kilogrammes of heroin and 1,350 kilogrammes of crystal meth, commonly known as ice.

The fiscal year, which began in October, has also seen the arrest of 347 suspects and the death of 29 traffickers during border clashes, reported Col. Meechai.

“Millions more pills are believed to be stored near the Myanmar border, waiting to be smuggled into northern Thailand.”

The Pha Muang Force is responsible for the northern border areas in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phayao, Nan, Uttaradit, and Phitsanulok provinces, covering a distance of 933 kilometres.

Since the military coup in Myanmar in 2021, which overthrew the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy, armed ethnic groups have united to combat the ruling military forces.

These developments underscore the complex and escalating dynamics along the Thailand-Myanmar border, as armed conflict and illicit drug production become increasingly intertwined, reported Bangkok Post.

In related news, a Pair of soda swindlers were arrested for home robbery and drug use. Investigators from Sutthisan Police Station yesterday apprehended two men accused of a home robbery to steal soft drinks and lemons, which they then sold at low prices, claiming they were clearance items.

The investigation revealed that the suspects had a pattern of committing these thefts and selling the goods quickly to avoid detection.