Thailand seizes US$22 million worth of ‘Golden Triangle’ meth destined for Malaysia
The methamphetamine market has expanded at an alarming rate Asia
Thailand has made one of its largest crystal methamphetamine busts, seizing 700 million baht (US$22.4 million) worth of the drug, police said on Tuesday, as the United Nations warned Southeast Asia was being flooded with illegal drugs from the “Golden Triangle” region.
Police said 700 kilograms (1,543 pounds) of the drug, known as ice, was seized on March 28 in southern Chumpon Province and were destined for Malaysia.
The drugs were produced in the Golden Triangle region, where the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet.
Two Thais and two Malaysians were arrested in connection with the raid.
The methamphetamine market has expanded at an alarming rate in East and Southeast Asia. In 2015, experts in several countries in the subregion reported an increase in the use of both crystalline methamphetamine and methamphetamine tablets.
Among amphetamines, methamphetamine represents the greatest global health threat, a 2017 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) World Drug report said.