According to the UN, drug trafficking networks in Asia are increasingly using maritime routes to smuggle methamphetamine from Burma and are stepping up ketamine production to expand their operations. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported in its annual report that methamphetamine produced in Burma’s northeastern Shan region, known to be a drug production hub, is being trafficked by boat to avoid intensified land surveillance in China and Thailand.
The border region between Burma, Laos, and Thailand has long been a major hub for the production and trafficking of illegal drugs, especially methamphetamine and opium. However, increased surveillance in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan and along the Thai-Burma border has led traffickers to seek sea routes, resulting in a decrease in seizures made by Chinese and Thai authorities in 2022.
The UNODC report noted that traffickers are shipping large quantities of methamphetamine through Laos and northern Thailand but are also moving significant volumes through central Burma into the Andaman Sea, where they appear less likely to be detected. In addition, an increase in methamphetamine production was observed in Burma destined for Bangladesh and India.
Health experts warn that methamphetamine use can lead to paranoia, hallucinations, and violent behavior, and that withdrawal from the drug can cause psychosis. In 2022, authorities in East and Southeast Asia seized nearly 151 tons of methamphetamine, down from a record 172 tons in 2021. The UNODC report highlights that the most powerful drug trafficking networks operate with a high degree of certainty that they can evade detection.
In addition to methamphetamine trafficking, drug trafficking networks are also diversifying their supply. In 2022, regional authorities seized a record 27.4 tons of ketamine, an anesthetic used as a recreational drug, a 167% increase over 2021.