Exponential rise in synthetic drug production and trafficking in the Golden Triangle-UNODC Report

By R. Anil Kumar

• UN warn of regional increase in drug manufacturing, trafficking

Vienna, Austria. The illicit manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs from the “Golden Triangle” area has grown exponentially in recent times, leading to a record amount of methamphetamine seizures in East and Southeast Asia.

In 2024, 236 tonnes were seized, marking a 24 per cent increase over 2023, according to a report released today by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The 236 tonnes represent only the amount seized, and so much more 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,” he said, via a press release.

Titled “Synthetic Drugs in East and Southeast Asia: Latest Developments and Challenges”, the report shows that the production and trafficking of methamphetamine in Myanmar’s Shan state has drastically increased since 2021.

The ongoing crisis in Myanmar increased the need for proceeds from the drug trade, while the conflict and instability in the region has created favourable conditions for the expansion of drug production, impacting countries across the region and beyond.

Thailand has been identified as the main transit and destination point for methamphetamine trafficked from Myanmar. The neighbouring Kingdom recorded the largest quantity of methamphetamine seizures in the region.

“The trafficking route connecting Cambodia with Myanmar, primarily through Laos, 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,” he added.

The report highlights the evolving nature of transnational drug trafficking groups operating in East and Southeast Asia. The production sites for ketamine and related precursor chemicals have now reached most of the lower Mekong countries, it continued.

The illicit manufacture of pharmaceutical products, especially etomidate – an anesthetic similar to ketamine – and its analogues has been on the rise and they were designed to evade controls on novel substances. Technology also helps criminals to facilitate their operations.

“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. It will be key for the region to increase investment in both prevention and supply reduction strategies,” he added.

“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.”