Drug surge in Myanmar and neighbouring countries spills into Thailand

[Jonathan Fairfield]

 

The golden triangle that includes (Shan State, northeastern Myanmar, northern Thailand, and northwestern Laos) is one of the biggest global sources of narcotics, and 2021 has seen a surge in drug production in those areas.

 

Thailand has seized more than 80 million meth pills in the past six months.

 

For his part, Secretary-General of the Anti-Narcotics Committee, Vichai Chamongkol, stated that there is no drug production facility in China, but chemicals are smuggled through India and China to be delivered to ethnic minority drug production areas, stressing that drug smuggling operations of all kinds continue across the border despite the efforts made by customs and border patrol police to intercept smuggling operations.

 

One of the officials of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Inshik Sim, expressed that drug trafficking and smuggling continues around the borders of Myanmar and Thailand on a large scale, revealing that he had received information that nearly 1.5 tons of crystal were recently confiscated in the eastern Shan State in an area called Mong Yang is likely to be heading to Thailand and then to other countries, adding that if the government does not take clear measures, migrant workers will be exposed to danger and may be lured to carry out illegal acts, whether it is human smuggling or illegal drug smuggling across the border.

 

-- © Copyright A24 News Agency 2021-07-08

 

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[ThailandRyan]

Damn thought they were talking about the vaccines.....

[internationalism]

but thailand is at the very centre of transit because of several international airports and large tourists volume (pre covid), long coastline with large ports with yachts, cruisers and cargo ships.

It's also here, where it's the easiest to launder money through fake companies, as export is large part of economy.

Easiest to hide for international gangs because of multicultural population, large cities population and also of corrupted immigration.

So it's not "spilling into thailand", this country is pivotal to this trade.

Production, routes of transit were established by the CIA in support to anti Mao opposition just at the end of 2ww. Continued through Vietnam war as the USA wanted to keep thailand away from china. Drug money were needed to organise and arm paramilitary organisations

Edited July 8, 2021 by internationalism

[worgeordie]

They have been "spilling "into Thailand for many, many years,

Thailand is where they get distributed out to the rest of the World.

regards worgeordie

 

[Phuketshrew]

17 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

They have been "spilling "into Thailand for many, many years,

Thailand is where they get distributed out to the rest of the World.

regards worgeordie

Another hub!

[Colabamumbai]

Spill some on me. Red Lion or Double Globe 96%.

[sharecropper]

Watching the Thai Elite present its collective backside to its Chinese masters is a truly sickening thing. So much toadying, flattery and lies. But perhaps this guy is just being naive - or he really has scoured every inch of China to be able to make this staggeringly stupid statement:

 

"For his part, Secretary-General of the Anti-Narcotics Committee, Vichai Chamongkol, stated that there is no drug production facility in China"

Edited July 9, 2021 by sharecropper

[spidermike007]

The drug surge has been willingly spilling into the hands of the Thai police, and army for decades now, enriching them to no end. 

 

No need to make it seem like anything beyond what it is. National corruption on an industrial scale. 

[rudi49jr]

 

14 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

The drug surge has been willingly spilling into the hands of the Thai police, and army for decades now, enriching them to no end. 

 

No need to make it seem like anything beyond what it is. National corruption on an industrial scale. 

I’ve often wondered how big a part of the Thai economy is made up of illegal activities, like corruption and money laundering (all that money made with crime has to go somewhere!).

[internationalism]

39 minutes ago, rudi49jr said:

 

I’ve often wondered how big a part of the Thai economy is made up of illegal activities, like corruption and money laundering (all that money made with crime has to go somewhere!).

estimates 25% - 38.5%

https://www.bot.or.th/Thai/MonetaryPolicy/ArticleAndResearch/FAQ/FAQ_156.pdf

 

around 40%

https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/Thailand/shadow_economy

 

 

[hotchilli]

20 hours ago, Phuketshrew said:

Another hub!

Another leaky border.

[PETERTHEEATER]

3 hours ago, Colabamumbai said:

Spill some on me. Red Lion or Double Globe 96%.

Sorry, only 'Seven Geese Flying East' brand left but 99.9%. 

[mtls2005]

U.S. Embassy put out an alert today, a bit strange and not a lot of info in it.

 

 

 

Location:  Tak Province and the city of Mae Sot, Thailand
 
The U.S. Embassy informs U.S. citizens to exercise caution when traveling to the Myanmar border regions in Tak Province and the border city of Mae Sot.  The U.S. Embassy Regional Security Office advised U.S. Embassy staff that at no time should anyone enter an area controlled by the Royal Thai Army.  In Mae Sot, travelers should avoid the area north of Bridge 1. 
 
Actions to Take:
Exercise caution when traveling to the Myanmar border regions in Tak Province and the border city of Mae Sot.
Do not enter an area controlled by the Royal Thai Army.

 

[RubbaJohnny]

With such efficient drug distribution perhaps US donation should be to the Shan army labs and their runners dressed in Brown, the brown uniforms are perfect camoflage for brown envelopes and noses.

 

If only there weren't a supply of attractive young people experienced in walking the streets to deliver food and health products/advice /medicines to the poor victims.

 

Be sure folks it's hitting the ventilator in Bangers and with a few days notice Ocha's midnight runners will bring a share of the covid bous Ang Pao Ker chhing early this time to each and every community.

 

Anyway the people who say they are in charge say it's business in usual in Chikland, Lotus pray from seven to .....I'm saving up the little stamps with each Chinese vaccine until we have enough for a village funeral.

 

Keep safe folks and remember we are so lucky there is no racist xenophobia to be stoked by shameless pollies in the land of smiles free of corruption, vice and jewel pricinggggggggggg

Edited July 9, 2021 by RubbaJohnny

[rudi49jr]

4 hours ago, internationalism said:

estimates 25% - 38.5%

https://www.bot.or.th/Thai/MonetaryPolicy/ArticleAndResearch/FAQ/FAQ_156.pdf

 

around 40%

https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/Thailand/shadow_economy

 

 

Thanks, very enlightening.

[chalawaan]

If you're hungry and you know the few baht you have is going to either feed you for a day, OR make you forget your hunger and actually feel like everything's great for three days, I promise you, you'll do the drugs.

 

For the poor, speed pills are under a buck and 3 days worth of pure delerium (ice) is THB 200 so it costs less than four <deleted>ty local beers or even a 630ml bottle of vodka.

 

Another thing the dinotards will never grasp in their fruitless attempts to control peoples miserable impoverished private lives.

[chalawaan]

6 hours ago, rudi49jr said:

 

I’ve often wondered how big a part of the Thai economy is made up of illegal activities, like corruption and money laundering (all that money made with crime has to go somewhere!).

The scale of empty or near empty apartment blocks, homes, and even live-in golfing resorts in Chiang Mai, on the edge of the storied Golden Triangle is astonishing. 

In the Vietnam war years a big name Thai drug lord more or less ruled Chiang Mai, can't recall his nickname now.

But back to the future. Why else would these vast ghost structures grace the CM landscape when the upper middle class Thai market is so limited, and the overseas market heavily restricted?

 

More laundry than a lever brothers advert.

Edited July 9, 2021 by chalawaan

[chalawaan]

4 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Another leaky border.

Leaky old dotards who lost control of their cunning cold-war plan along with their bladders,  but of course, it's all the peoples fault for wanting to escape the utterly hopeless and ragged lives the elites oblige them to live.

Edited July 9, 2021 by chalawaan

[BritManToo]

6 hours ago, rudi49jr said:

I’ve often wondered how big a part of the Thai economy is made up of illegal activities, like corruption and money laundering (all that money made with crime has to go somewhere!).

I watched a big meth lab in Chang Puak (Chiang Mai) get busted.

They had just rented 2 or 3 condo's next to each other and started cooking.

[Excel]

Just now, BritManToo said:

I watched a big meth lab in Chang Puak (Chiang Mai) get busted.

They had just rented 2 or 3 condo's next to each other and started cooking.

Did you manage to acquire any stock prior to the bust ?

[BritManToo]

Just now, Excel said:

Did you manage to acquire any stock prior to the bust ?

Nah, I've never enjoyed speed, I like to slow myself down.

[chalawaan]

3 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

U.S. Embassy put out an alert today, a bit strange and not a lot of info in it.

 

 

 

Location:  Tak Province and the city of Mae Sot, Thailand
 
The U.S. Embassy informs U.S. citizens to exercise caution when traveling to the Myanmar border regions in Tak Province and the border city of Mae Sot.  The U.S. Embassy Regional Security Office advised U.S. Embassy staff that at no time should anyone enter an area controlled by the Royal Thai Army.  In Mae Sot, travelers should avoid the area north of Bridge 1. 
 
Actions to Take:
Exercise caution when traveling to the Myanmar border regions in Tak Province and the border city of Mae Sot.
Do not enter an area controlled by the Royal Thai Army.

 

There's a civil war in all but name brewing just 100 km as the crow flies from Chiang Mai, I am surprised any such advisory is so late and so limited!

[Deli]

Set up a cartel ( comitee, same same ), sell the stuff, take the money and buy Pfizer shots. It's called economy,

[MrJ2U]

My Thai wife says the police are the main drug dealers.  

 

I would say 70% our village is hooked on Yaba or ICE.  

 

It's such an addictive and life ruining drug.

[rudi49jr]

3 hours ago, chalawaan said:

 

In the Vietnam war years a big name Thai drug lord more or less ruled Chiang Mai, can't recall his nickname now.

I think his name was Khun Sa, wasn’t it? Eventually he was run out of Thailand and he set up shop in Myanmar, just across the border, where he had an actual army of about 10,000 soldiers.
He once offered the USA help in their ‘war on drugs’: if they paid him 500 million dollars, he would shut down his operation and help the DEA go after all the other drugs/war lords in the area. He was never taken up on that offer, strangely enough……