Myanmar burns $446 million worth of seized drugs in huge bonfire

The move marks the UN's International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

A police officer stands in front of a haul of drugs before a destruction ceremony to mark International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, in Yangon, Myanmar on June 26. AFP

Myanmar authorities destroyed drugs worth more than $446 million at events across the country. EPA

School pupils file past the drugs haul in Yangon. AFP

A police officer advises young people in Yangon about Myanmar's fight against drugs. EPA

Packs of illegal ketamine on display at the drug destruction ceremony in Yangon. AFP

The haul of drugs goes up in flames in Yangon. AFP

Despite such high-profile events, Myanmar authorities warn they are failing to stop a surge in production and trafficking of narcotics. AP

A burning haul of illegal drugs at a destruction ceremony on International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, in Yangon, Myanmar. EPA

Authorities in Myanmar destroyed drugs worth more than $446 million to mark an annual international anti-drug trafficking day, police said.

Monday's event came as UN experts warned of increases in the production of opium, heroin and methamphetamine in Myanmar, with exports threatening to expand markets in South and South-East Asia.

Myanmar has a long history of drug production linked to political and economic insecurity caused by decades of armed conflict.

The country is a major producer and exporter of methamphetamine and is the world’s second-largest opium and heroin producer after Afghanistan, despite repeated attempts to promote alternative legal crops among poor farmers.

In the country’s largest city, Yangon, seized drugs and precursor chemicals worth $207 million were incinerated. The destroyed drugs included opium, heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, kratom, ketamine and crystal meth.

The burn coincided with the UN's International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Authorities also destroyed drugs in the central city of Mandalay and Taunggyi, the capital of eastern Shan state, both closer to the main drug production and distribution areas.

Last year, authorities burnt seized drugs with a street value of more than $642 million.

Experts warned that the violent political unrest in Myanmar following the military takeover two years ago – which is now akin to a civil war between the military government and its pro-democracy opponents – has caused an increase in drug production.

The production of opium in Myanmar has flourished since the military seized power, with the cultivation of poppies up by a third in the past year as eradication efforts have dropped off. The faltering economy has also pushed more people towards the drug trade according to a report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime published earlier this year.

Estimates of opium production were 400 metric tons in 2020, rising slightly in 2021, and then spiking in 2022 to an estimated 790 metric tons, according to the report.

The UN agency has also warned of a huge increase in recent years in the production of methamphetamine, driving down prices and reaching markets through new smuggling routes.

The military government said some ethnic armed organisations that control large swathes of remote territory produce illegal drugs to fund their insurgencies and do not co-operate in the country’s peace process or relinquish the benefits they gain from the drug trade. Historically, some rebel ethnic groups have also used drug profits to fund their struggle for greater autonomy from the central government.

Most of the opium and heroin exported by Myanmar, along with methamphetamine, is transported to other countries in Southeast Asia and China.