The Golden Triangle - the remote, jungle-covered border region where Thailand, Myanmar, and the Lao People's Democratic Republic meet - has seen an exponential surge in the illicit manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs.
According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime ( UNODC ), the production and trafficking of methamphetamine - an illegal synthetic stimulant - have risen sharply since 2021, particularly in Myanmar's Shan State.
UNODC emphasised that both the scale of production and the flow of trafficking in Shan State have "significantly" increased over the past few years.
Record seizures
A record 236 tons of methamphetamine (commonly known as meth) was seized in East and Southeast Asia in 2024, a 24 per cent increase from 2023.
However, "the 236 tons represent only the amount seized" and it's likely that much more is reaching the streets and illicit market, said Benedikt Hofmann from UNODC, describing the amount as "unprecedented."
Seizures in Southeast Asia represent 85 per cent of the total, with Thailand alone seizing one billion meth tablets.
Conducive conditions
While Thailand remains the main transit and destination point, the drug is mostly produced in Myanmar's Shan State.
Amid the ongoing civil war involving multiple armed groups, Myanmar's military regime is experiencing instability and governance challenges that are fuelling the illicit production of synthetic and other drugs.
Although certain areas of Myanmar have been spared from the ongoing conflict and remain stable, "the ongoing crisis in Myanmar is further increasing the need for proceeds from the drug trade," said Mr. Hofmann.
"This combination of conflict and stability has created favourable conditions for the expansion of drug production impacting countries across the region and beyond," he said.
