Latest news with #UnitedNationsOfficeonDrugsandCrime
Scoop
2 days ago
- Scoop
Rise In Production And Trafficking Of Synthetic Drugs From The Golden Triangle, New Report Shows
Bangkok (Thailand), 28 May 2025 – The illicit manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs from the Golden Triangle have grown exponentially, according to a report released today by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The explosive growth has led to a record amount of methamphetamine seizures in East and Southeast Asia, totaling 236 tons, marking a 24 per cent increase compared to 2023. 'The 236 tons represent only the amount seized, and just so much methamphetamine is actually reaching the market,' said Benedikt Hofmann, UNODC Acting Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific. 'While these seizures reflect, in part, successful law enforcement efforts, we are clearly seeing unprecedented levels of methamphetamine production and trafficking from the Golden Triangle, in particular Shan State.' The report, titled Synthetic Drugs in East and Southeast Asia: Latest Developments and Challenges, shows that the production and trafficking of methamphetamine in Shan State, Myanmar, have significantly increased since 2021. 'The ongoing crisis in Myanmar is further increasing the need for proceeds from the drug trade, but at the same time there is a degree of stability in certain parts of the country, especially those known for large-scale synthetic drug production,' Hofmann said. 'This combination of conflict and stability has created favourable conditions for the expansion of drug production, impacting countries across the region and beyond.' Thailand remained the main transit and destination point for methamphetamine trafficked from Myanmar and recorded the largest quantity of methamphetamine seizures in the region, including one billion tablets of yaba – a combination of methamphetamine and caffeine popular in many parts of Southeast Asia due to its easy availability and low price. At the same time, transnational drug trafficking groups have increasingly exploited emerging trafficking routes to evade law enforcement detection. 'The trafficking route connecting Cambodia with Myanmar, primarily through Lao PDR, has been rapidly expanding,' said Inshik Sim, Lead Analyst at the UNODC Regional Office for Southeast Asia and the Pacific. 'Another increasingly significant corridor involves maritime trafficking routes linking Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, with Sabah in Malaysia serving as a key transit hub.' The report highlights the evolving nature of transnational drug trafficking groups operating in East and Southeast Asia. These groups have demonstrated remarkable agility in reacting to law enforcement pressure, as shown by the spread of production sites for ketamine and related precursor chemicals, which has now reached most of the lower Mekong countries. Authorities in Viet Nam dismantled an industrial-scale facility in March 2025. Another example is the rise in the illicit manufacture of pharmaceutical products, especially etomidate and its analogues, designed to evade controls on novel substances. The report also underscores the growing use of technology across the entire chain of drug-related crimes, from planning, coordination, and the execution of trafficking to financial transactions and money laundering linked to the synthetic drug trade. 'With the surge in synthetic drug production and trafficking in the region, most countries report an overall increase in the use of methamphetamine and ketamine,' Hofmann said. 'However, in some countries, we are seeing a decline in the number of younger drug users admitted to treatment facilities, which may be attributable to drug use prevention campaigns targeting youth populations,' he added. 'It will be key for the region to increase investment in both prevention and supply reduction strategies.'
Euronews
4 days ago
- Euronews
Australian man arrested for allegedly smuggling cocaine into Bali
Authorities in Indonesia have arrested an Australian man for allegedly smuggling cocaine on the tourist island of Bali, a charge that could carry the death penalty, officials have said. Lamar Aaron Ahchee, 43, from Cairns in north Queensland, was arrested last Thursday after police raided his rented house near Kuta beach, a popular tourist spot, and seized 1.7 kilograms of cocaine in 206 plastic bags, along with a digital scale and a mobile phone, Bali Police Chief Daniel Adityajaya said. The arrest followed an investigation conducted by Bali Police anti-drug surveillance teams who reported the man had received two suspicious packages sent by mail from England, Adityajaya said. "He is suspected of importing or distributing class one narcotics," Adityajaya said at a news conference in the provincial capital, Denpasar. "He is threatened with the death penalty or life imprisonment." Adityajaya said a preliminary investigation showed that the Australian had ordered a motorcycle taxi driver through the Grab online service on 21 May to pick up two packages at a post office in Denpasar. The driver was told to hand the two packages to a motorcycle taxi driver from another online service, who was ordered to deliver them to Ahchee's rented house, Adityajaya said. Adityajaya said the suspect told authorities during a police interrogation that he was asked by someone he referred to as "Boss," to take the package and distribute it in Bali. He was promised 50 million rupiah (€2,660) for handling the cocaine. On Monday, police presented the accused at the news conference where he was wearing an orange detainee jumpsuit and a mask, with his hands handcuffed. The man did not make a statement. One of his lawyers, Edward Pangkahila, said his team would accompany his client during the police questioning "to see the progress of the investigation." "He is not the owner of the cocaine, he is just a user," Pangkahila said, "The police must be able to chase and arrest the person who is acting as his boss, to reveal this case fairly." The Southeast Asian country has extremely strict drug laws and convicted smugglers are sometimes executed by firing squad. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says Indonesia is a major drug-smuggling hub despite having some of the strictest drug laws in the world, in part because international drug syndicates target its young population. On Tuesday, Denpasar District Court handed a 10-month prison sentence to Thomas Parker, a British national who was arrested in January after he collected a package containing drugs from a motorcycle taxi driver. Indonesian authorities arrested an Argentinian woman and a British man in March for allegedly smuggling 324 grams of cocaine on Bali. About 530 people, including 96 foreigners, are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections' data showed.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Time of India
Indonesian police arrest an Australian man for allegedly smuggling cocaine to Bali
Photo: AP DENPASAR: Indonesian authorities arrested an Australian man for allegedly smuggling cocaine on the tourist island of Bali, a charge that could carry the death penalty, officials said Monday. The Southeast Asian country has extremely strict drug laws, and convicted smugglers are sometimes executed by firing squad. Lamar Aaron Ahchee, 43, from Cairns in north Queensland, was arrested May 22, after police raided his rented house near Kuta beach, a popular tourist spot, and seized 1.7 kilograms (3.7 pounds) cocaine in 206 clip plastic bags, along with a digital scale and cellular phone, said Bali Police Chief Daniel Adityajaya. The arrest followed an investigation conducted by Bali Police anti-drug surveillance teams who reported the man had received two suspicious packages sent by mail from England, Adityajaya said. "He is suspected of importing or distributing class 1 narcotics," Adityajaya told a news conference in the provincial capital, Denpasar. "He is threatened with the death penalty or life imprisonment." Adityajaya said a preliminary investigation showed that the Australian had ordered a motorcycle taxi driver through the Grab online service on May 21, to pick up two packages at a post office in Denpasar. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Her body cannot endure this level of pain; please help her. Donate For Health Learn More Undo The driver was told to hand the two packages to a motorcycle taxi driver from another online service, who was ordered to deliver them to Ahchee's rented house, Adityajaya said. Adityajaya said the suspect told authorities during a police interrogation that he was asked by someone he referred to as "Boss," to take the package and distribute it in Bali. He was promised 50 million rupiah ($3,000) for handling the cocaine. Police on Monday presented the accused at the news conference. He was wearing an orange detainee jumpsuit and a buff mask, with his hands handcuffed. The man did not make a statement. One of his lawyers, Edward Pangkahila, said his team would accompany his client during the police questioning "to see the progress of the investigation." "He is not the owner of the cocaine, he is just a dealer," Pangkahila said, "The police must be able to chase and arrest the person who is acting as his boss, to reveal this case fairly." The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says Indonesia is a major drug-smuggling hub despite having some of the strictest drug laws in the world, in part because international drug syndicates target its young population. Denpasar District Court on Tuesday is scheduled to read out a verdict against Thomas Parker, a British national who was arrested on Jan. 21, after he allegedly collected a package containing drugs from a motorcycle taxi driver. Indonesian authorities arrested an Argentinian woman and a British man in March for allegedly smuggling 324 grams (0.7 pounds) of cocaine on the tourist island of Bali. About 530 people, including 96 foreigners, are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections' data showed. Indonesia's last executions, of an Indonesian and three foreigners, were carried out in July 2016.
New Straits Times
7 days ago
- New Straits Times
Indonesia seizes two tons of methamphetamine in its biggest ever bust
JAKARTA: Indonesian authorities seized about two tonnes of methamphetamine off Sumatra island in the biggest seizure of drugs in the country's history, its narcotics agency said today. The agency linked the drugs to a syndicate in the Golden Triangle an area where northeastern Myanmar meets parts of Thailand and Laos, which has a long history of producing drugs for distribution as far as Japan and New Zealand. Marthinus Hukom, chief of Indonesia's narcotics agency, said after five months of surveillance authorities last week sent ships to stop a vessel called 'Sea Dragon Tarawa' and discovered the methamphetamine in boxes. Hukom said the drugs were thought to have come from a syndicate in the Golden Triangle and were destined for Indonesia as well as other Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia and the Philippines. Four Indonesians and two Thai nationals were apprehended on the ship, he said. "This seizure is the biggest drug discovery in the history of drug eradication in Indonesia," he said. The latest seizure comes after Indonesia's navy seized a ship carrying nearly two tonnes of methamphetamine and cocaine worth US$425 million around the same area in the west of the archipelago earlier this month. One Thai national and four Myanmar nationals were also detained. A record 190 tonnes of methamphetamine was seized in East and Southeast Asia in 2023 as organised crime groups exploited weak law enforcement to traffic drugs, mainly via the Gulf of Thailand, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said in a 2024 report.
Otago Daily Times
7 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Indonesia seizes nearly 2 tonnes of meth
Methamphetamine and cocaine seized last week. Photo: Indonesian Naval Force via Reuters Indonesian authorities have seized about 1.8 tonnes methamphetamine off Sumatra island in the biggest seizure of drugs in the country's history, its narcotics agency says. The agency linked the drugs to a syndicate in the Golden Triangle - an area where northeastern Myanmar meets parts of Thailand and Laos, which has a long history of producing drugs for distribution as far as Japan and New Zealand. Marthinus Hukom, chief of Indonesia's narcotics agency, told reporters on Monday that after five months of surveillance, authorities last week sent ships to stop a vessel called Sea Dragon Tarawa and discovered the meth in boxes. Hukom said the drugs were thought to have come from a syndicate in the Golden Triangle and were destined for Indonesia as well as other Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia and the Philippines. Four Indonesians and two Thai nationals were apprehended on the ship, he said. "This seizure is the biggest drug discovery in the history of drug eradication in Indonesia." The latest seizure comes after Indonesia's navy seized a ship carrying nearly two tons of methamphetamine and cocaine worth $US425 million ($NZ705 million) around the same area in the west of the archipelago earlier this month. One Thai national and four Myanmar nationals were also detained. A record 190 tons of methamphetamine was seized in East and Southeast Asia in 2023 as organised crime groups exploited weak law enforcement to traffic drugs, mainly via the Gulf of Thailand, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said in a report last year. Indonesia has some of the world's strictest anti-narcotics laws and drug trafficking is punishable by death.
