LAOS BATTLES GOLDEN TRIANGLE TRAFFICKERS FROM CREATING DRUG CORRIDOR ON ITS LAND  

By Vijian Paramasivam

PHNOM PENH, Nov 22 (Bernama) -- The seizure of 20,000 kg of narcotics and arrest of 200 foreign traffickers by Lao security officials this year underlines that international drug syndicates are exploiting Laos as a key transit point within the notorious Golden Triangle.

Laos’ geographic location - sharing porous borders with Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, and China - makes it an ideal route for traffickers to transport illicit substances to international markets. 

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Security, General Vilay Lakhamfong, briefed Lao Parliament on Wednesday about the rising drug scourge in his country.

He said authorities seized heroin (381 kg), amphetamine pills (81 million), crystal meth (4,800 kg), opium (84.86 kg), cannabis (3,600 kg), and 10,000 kg of other powdered drug concoctions, reported Vientiane Times.

This sheer volume underscores that transborder narcotic crime in Southeast Asia is rampant and experts fear the underdeveloped and mountainous Laos could be turned into a major cultivation, production, and transit destination. 

“Indeed, the surge in opium trade in the Golden Triangle sub-region is a cause of concern. I wouldn’t say that it is going back to the 1970s era, but there are enough evidences to show that illegal narcotics trade is on the rise.

“Laos doesn’t have enough wherewithal to deal with this menace all by itself, and that is why regional and international support is needed to constantly monitor the situation. Both ASEAN and the UN (United Nations) and its affiliated agencies are needed to deal with the situation,” Dr Rahul Mishra, Associate Professor, Centre for Indo-Pacific Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India, told Bernama in an email interview. 

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has been warning that the syndicates are plying the Golden Triangle, bordering Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos, to smuggle illicit items including drugs to lucrative markets across Southeast Asia.

Between the 1970s and 1990s, the Golden Triangle was notorious for its poppy fields producing enough heroin supply for international markets. 

Today the images of the infamous Khun Sa warlord or the “opium king” continue to terrorise the region.  

“Illegal opium production in the Golden Triangle thrives due to the region’s favourable climate and geography. Methamphetamine is now the dominant drug according to seizure data, with seizures having grown fourfold between 2013 and 2022. 

“Methamphetamine from the Golden Triangle now reaches markets across the region and elsewhere in Asia and Oceania. Criminal groups, benefiting from the illegal trade in opium and methamphetamine, have recently diversified into other illicit activities, including online scams, wildlife trafficking and money laundering, often using casinos and special economic zones to conceal their operations,” said UNODC’s World Drug Report 2024.

According to the report, the Golden Triangle is gaining more popularity after Afghanistan completely stopped opium cultivation after the Taliban took control of the government in 2022 - causing a shortfall in global supply. 

Financially-strapped small-scale farmers have moved to opium cultivation as a cash crop in remote border areas and money earned is often used to buy food items. 

“Opium and cannabis production are seen as high-yielding cash crops. The temptation to get high returns, the availability of informal trade and the existence of a strong illegal trade network make it easier for farmers to sell such products. 

“Turning the farmers to more sustainable farming is a tough task considering that Laos and neighbouring Cambodia are LDC (Least Developed Countries), and Myanmar is in a state of civil war.

“Trans-regional mechanisms and a revived collaborative approach in dealing with this menace is the need of the hour,” said Mishra.

-- BERNAMA