Mizoram emerges as major drug trafficking route: Irrawaddy

AIZAWL:

Mizoram has emerged as a major drug trafficking route wherein Yaba tablets and various other synthetic drugs are smuggled from Myanmar.

According to Irrawaddy - a leading media outfit of Myanmar, factories put out over 1 billion Yaba pills annually in Myanmar. They smuggle the drugs to other neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, including parts of Europe and America.

Irrawaddy claims that towards the end of the last century, drug cartels in the Golden Triangle—the area where the borders of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos meet have switched to methamphetamine or meth production, turning it into a more lucrative trade as compared to heroin.

The popularity of meth, locally known as Yaba or crazy drug, soared in Thailand. In Bangladesh, the name Yaba has metamorphosed into “baba”.

Earlier this year, several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Mizoram demanded the reinforcement of security along the Myanmar border to prevent the smuggling of drugs.

The NGOs also claimed that drugs worth USD 1,36,526, were seized in February and March.

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