$2bn worth of drugs destroyed in Ayutthaya

Although 2 billion dollars worth of drugs has been destroyed, Thai and Myanmar officials say the drug trade is still booming.

Thai narcotics officials arrange bags of methamphetamine pills during a ceremony held to destroy confiscated narcotics in Ayutthaya on Friday.

Officials in Thailand and Myanmar destroyed 25 tons of illicit drugs worth more than US$2 billion on Friday but conceded that the tide of drugs was growing as organized crime gangs boost supply and find new channels to do business.

Children have learned how to order narcotics online and the dealers continue to send it to them. Recently, there has been a spike in young heroin users which is among the worrying trends.

Though opium cultivation and heroin refining have declined, methamphetamine production in Myanmar’s lawless northern regions has increased, with armed ethnic groups in business with organized crime elements. Thailand is used mainly as a conduit and distribution point.

Source: $2bn worth of drugs destroyed

(Reuters Photo) AYUTTHAYA:

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