Record number of methamphetamine pills seized in East, Southeast Asia
Anti-drug forces of East and Southeast Asian nations seized over 1 billion meth tablets in 2021, according to statistics announced by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crimes (UNODC) on May 30.
Thai policemen stand in front of packages of meth on display during a press conference at the Narcotics Suppression Bureau in Bangkok in 2019. (Photo: washingtonpost.com)
Hanoi (VNA) – Anti-drug forces of East andSoutheast Asian nations seized over 1 billion meth tablets in 2021,according to statistics announced by the UnitedNations Office on Drug and Crimes (UNODC) on May 30.
The UNODC said the "Golden Triangle" area, where Laos, Myanmar and Thailand come together, is a drug trafficking hot-spot.
Law enforcement agencies of thecountries seized nearly 172 tonnes of methamphetamine, a seven-fold increasefrom the total seizures a decade ago, it added.
Jeremy Douglas, the UNODC’s representative for SoutheastAsia and the Pacific, said that the scale and scope of methamphetamine traffickingin East and Southeast Asia is a matter of concern.
Criminal gangs and armed groups have taken advantage of thepolitical instability and the COVID-19 pandemic to increase their activity, hesaid.
KavinvadeeSuppapongtevasakul, the UNODC regional synthetic drugs analyst for the global SMARTprogramme, said the drug's plummeting prices had made it much more accessibleand available to those that could not afford it before.
🌳 The social consequences of increased use are significant, and health and harmreduction services remain limited across the region, she said./.
The 3rd meeting of the AIPA (ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly) Advisory Council on Dangerous Drugs (AIPACODD) was held online on June 29 with a view to helping enhance regional cooperation towards a drug-free ASEAN community.
Politburo member and permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Tran Quoc Vuong on July 9 stressed close coordination as well as synchronous efforts of relevant forces in the fight against drug.
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The Ministry of Commerce reported that imports also rose 18% to 29.9 billion USD during the same period, resulting in a trade surplus of 1.1 billion USD. In May alone, Thailand posted a 4.6 billion USD trade surplus with the US and a 4.1 billion USD trade deficit with China.
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Thai policemen stand in front of packages of meth on display during a press conference at the Narcotics Suppression Bureau in Bangkok in 2019. (Photo: washingtonpost.com) 
