03/03/2008

Burma reigns king of methamphetamines

Despite a slight upswing in opium cultivation, the United States says Burma's position as the global leader in methamphetamine production now poses the greater threat to the region.

Dubbing the region the "Ice Triangle", a reference to the burgeoning production of amphetamine-type stimulants in the area famously known as the "Golden Triangle", the 2008 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report warns that subduing illicit trade will require the Burmese government to work closely with both domestic and international actors.

At present "the lack of cooperation that we have from Burma threatens not just its own public but also the countries of Southeast Asia," David T. Johnson, Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, told reporters in Washington on Friday upon release of the 2008 survey.

According to the study the production and trafficking of narcotics in and through Burma is often conducted in collaboration with Chinese gangs.

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