A massive Asian drug bust has stirred a fentanyl mystery
The operation targeted a string of warehouses and refineries in the northern hills of Myanmar, namely an area known as Kutkai
PRI (US)
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
As the UNODC put it, this was “one of the largest and most successful counternarcotics operations” in Asia’s history. Myanmar’s army and police, which conducted the raids, are naturally pleased. But the story behind the raid is quite messy — one involving double-crossing traffickers, Chinese mafia and even the White House. Myanmar’s government has known about the labs for years. The same goes for the United States’ Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and Chinese intelligence. Even The World knew it was there, writing in 2015 that the area contains “a number of heroin and meth refineries.” The labs went undisturbed because they were protected by a militia — one that happens to serve under Myanmar’s army.
tags:
crime | fentanyl | china | methamphetamine | drug markets | law enforcement | burma | UNODC | US drug policy
