A Myanmar policeman walks past a pile of drugs prior to a 'Destruction Ceremony of Seized Narcotic Drugs' to mark International Day against Drug Abuse, in Yangon, Myanmar, on June 26. Photo EPA/Lynn Bo Bo
Yangon [DPA]
Authorities have arrested 15 men and seized the largest shipment of illegal drugs in Myanmar history, officials say.
The navy intercepted a ship near the southern town of Kawthaun, en route to Thailand, with around 2,400,000 pills of Ecstasy that police estimate was worth up to $US20 million ($A21.64 million).
'This seizure is the largest amount in history,' senior anti-drug official Myint Oo said.
Fifteen men including the captain were arrested and detained at a police station last week, he said.
Authorities in July seized heroin with an estimated value of $US2.3 million ($A2.49 million) in the town of Tachileik in Shan state, near the Thai border.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says 10 per cent of the world's opium comes from Myanmar, the second-largest producer of the drug after Afghanistan.
Methamphetamine production is more difficult to trace, with the drug often produced in small, mobile laboratories in remote areas of the country, Myint Oo said.
In June, Myanmar burned around $US130 million worth of seized drugs, including 1.3 tonnes of opium, 225kg of heroin and 1.2 tons of methamphetamine tablets, he said.
http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/myanmar-makes-record-illegal-drug-seizure/
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