Myanmar Military Claims Seizure of Giant Meth Labs

Myanmar’s military says it has dismantled three vast jungle laboratories in Shan State, describing them as the largest drug‑making facilities ever captured in the country. Officials claim the sites were responsible for producing more than a third of all methamphetamine seized nationwide in 2025.

The announcement comes as Myanmar remains a hub for the regional narcotics trade, with analysts warning that civil war since the 2021 coup has fuelled both production and trafficking. Rebel groups across the country are accused of using drug profits to finance their campaigns and administrations.

AFP reporters were taken on a military‑organised tour of the wreckage near Hsipaw, where the labs resembled small villages, complete with roads, housing and power systems. Police said barrels of crystal meth were found ready to be pressed into pills, alongside protective gear and industrial equipment.

“This is the biggest seizure and destruction by an anti‑drugs operation in our history,” junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told journalists in Pyin Oo Lwin. Authorities believe the facilities were linked, based on packaging materials used to disguise shipments.

The military says the discovery followed recent ceasefires brokered by China, which allowed troops to regain territory in Shan State. While the junta hails the operation as a major success, observers note that Myanmar’s drug trade remains deeply entrenched, with narcotics continuing to bankroll conflict across the fractured nation.

-2026-01-16