Myanmar authorities incinerated more than 50 tons of illicit drugs, valued at approximately $600 million, in nationwide events Friday. The drug burnings, which included heroin, opium, ketamine, methamphetamine, and crystal meth, marked the United Nations' International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
Thick black smoke rose from the outskirts of Yangon as authorities destroyed a significant portion of the seized narcotics. Police Lt. Col. Aung Myat Soe of Yangon's Anti-Narcotics Police Force reported that drugs destroyed this year had a street value more than double that of the previous year. In Yangon alone, drugs worth $321 million were burned. Similar events were held in Mandalay and Taunggyi, the capital of Shan state, an area closer to major drug production sites.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, has a long-standing issue with drug production, which experts link to political and economic instability stemming from decades of armed conflict. The country is a significant source of illegal drugs for East and Southeast Asia. Following the military's takeover in 2021 and the subsequent civil war, drug production has reportedly increased.
In January, the military government announced its largest-ever seizures of illicit drugs and manufacturing equipment from 12 production sites in the northern Shan state. The government asserts that militias involved in the ongoing civil war use illicit drug profits to fund their insurgencies, making them resistant to peace processes.
Some ethnic militias are known to be involved in the drug trade, while others have made efforts to combat it. The Ta'ang National Liberation Army, for instance, which recently signed a ceasefire with the military after capturing territory in Shan state, announced on Thursday its intention to destroy approximately $5.5 million worth of seized drugs within its controlled areas.