Myanmar Destroys $446 Million Worth of Seized Drugs Amidst Booming Illicit Trade in Southeast Asia

Myanmar destroyed over $446 million worth of illegal drugs to mark an annual international anti-drug trafficking day, as UN experts warn of increases in opium, heroin, and methamphetamine production in the country. Myanmar is a major producer and exporter of methamphetamine and the world’s second-largest opium and heroin producer after Afghanistan. The military takeover two years ago has caused an increase in drug production, with the cultivation of poppies up by a third in the past year. Most of the opium and heroin exported by Myanmar, along with methamphetamine, goes to other countries in Southeast Asia and China.