Tue, August 7, 2007
DPA
Some 40 million methamphetamine pills were seized and 100 clandestine methamphetamine labs raided last year in Asia, where 60 per cent of the world's 25 million abusers of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) reside, the United Nations revealed Tuesday.
Last year's increase in seizures of methamphetamine tablets and labs, while encouraging, demonstrates the rising menace of ATS in the Asian region where opium and heroin are fast becoming "out-dated," according to the latest regional drug report released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
"Recent clandestine drug laboratory seizures indicate that methamphetamine is produced on an industrial scale here" said Jeremy Douglas, regional project coordinator for the UNODC's East Asia and Pacific region.
Seizures of more than 100 clandestine methamphetamine laboratories were reported last year with half occurring in China, but other "super-labs" were raided in Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma and Cambodia, some of them targetting the export market.
While Burma remains the region's main producer of methamphetamines, China and Cambodia are moving into crystal methamphetamine, also known as ice or shabu shabu.
"Ice is very lucrative because of its purity. You can cut it later," said Douglas.
The Philippines is deemed the largest market in Asia for crystal methamphetmine, but shabu is also increasingly popular in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and Japan.
Ordinary methamphetamines, also called yaa baa or "crazy drug," remain the main ATS sold in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Burma.
Of the 40 million yaa baa tablets seized by authorities last year, some 19.5 million were seized by Myanmar authorities, according to the UNODC figures.
"The 19.5 million seizure was the result of a very big sting operation in the Golden Triangle," said Douglas, referring to the tri-border area between Burma, Thailand and Laos which was once the world's main source of opium and heroin.
He claimed that the 19.5 million tablets were destined for the export market, most likely to neighbouring Thailand.
Burma is also the region's main source of opium and its derivative, heroin, but production has been cut drastically over the past decade.
"The hectares under opium cultivation in Burma have been reduced significantly over the last decade, which has coincided with an increase in ATS production," said Douglas.
Many anti-narcotics agents say Burma, while cracking down on opium and heroin production in their country, has turned a blind eye to the booming methamphetamine industry.
Meanwhile, a new generation of drug abusers has emerged in Asia.
"Heroin users tend to be older, while methamphetamines is really sweeping in top Asia's youth culture," Douglas said.
In Asia, the countries that still reported heroin as their number one drug abuse problem last year were China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma and Vietnam, according to the UNODC.
Elsewhere in Asia, methamphetamines have replaced heroin as the chief source of concern, the report concluded.
Last year's increase in seizures of methamphetamine tablets and labs, while encouraging, demonstrates the rising menace of ATS in the Asian region where opium and heroin are fast becoming "out-dated," according to the latest regional drug report released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
"Recent clandestine drug laboratory seizures indicate that methamphetamine is produced on an industrial scale here" said Jeremy Douglas, regional project coordinator for the UNODC's East Asia and Pacific region.
Seizures of more than 100 clandestine methamphetamine laboratories were reported last year with half occurring in China, but other "super-labs" were raided in Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma and Cambodia, some of them targetting the export market.
While Burma remains the region's main producer of methamphetamines, China and Cambodia are moving into crystal methamphetamine, also known as ice or shabu shabu.
"Ice is very lucrative because of its purity. You can cut it later," said Douglas.
The Philippines is deemed the largest market in Asia for crystal methamphetmine, but shabu is also increasingly popular in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and Japan.
Ordinary methamphetamines, also called yaa baa or "crazy drug," remain the main ATS sold in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Burma.
Of the 40 million yaa baa tablets seized by authorities last year, some 19.5 million were seized by Myanmar authorities, according to the UNODC figures.
"The 19.5 million seizure was the result of a very big sting operation in the Golden Triangle," said Douglas, referring to the tri-border area between Burma, Thailand and Laos which was once the world's main source of opium and heroin.
He claimed that the 19.5 million tablets were destined for the export market, most likely to neighbouring Thailand.
Burma is also the region's main source of opium and its derivative, heroin, but production has been cut drastically over the past decade.
"The hectares under opium cultivation in Burma have been reduced significantly over the last decade, which has coincided with an increase in ATS production," said Douglas.
Many anti-narcotics agents say Burma, while cracking down on opium and heroin production in their country, has turned a blind eye to the booming methamphetamine industry.
Meanwhile, a new generation of drug abusers has emerged in Asia.
"Heroin users tend to be older, while methamphetamines is really sweeping in top Asia's youth culture," Douglas said.
In Asia, the countries that still reported heroin as their number one drug abuse problem last year were China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma and Vietnam, according to the UNODC.
Elsewhere in Asia, methamphetamines have replaced heroin as the chief source of concern, the report concluded.
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