Over 20 kg of raw opium busted in Myanmar

Myanmar police busted 21.35 kg of raw opium in the same township of Shan state, the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC) said on Wednesday.

Acting on tip-off, a joint police force seized 4.5 kg of raw opium and some stimulants from a house in Taung Thone Lone (Upper) village in Tachileik township on Tuesday morning.

On the same day, 16.85 kg of raw opium and 13,500 stimulant tablets were confiscated from another house in the same village later, Xinhua news agency reported.

Two suspects were charged in connection with the cases under the country's Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law.

According to a press release issued by the President Office on Monday, a total of 1,411 people were arrested in connection with 896 drug-related cases from June 26, 2018 to December 21, 2019.

On June 26 last year, Myanmar government announced formation of the Drug Activity Special Complaint Department to accept and respond to reports on drug abuses and related cases from the public.

The authorities are stepping up the efforts to fight against drug trafficking and urge the public to directly inform drug trafficking cases to the department, as well as Home Affairs Ministry and relevant state and region governments, CCDAC said.IANS