Southeast Asia's booming narcotics industry has only been given a helping hand in recent months as governments turn their attention to combating Covid-19. With prices dropping and potency rising, the drug trade could be set to hit the region harder than ever

The Covid-19 pandemic may have put a damper on most businesses but the trade in illicit narcotics is seemingly booming.
Earlier this week, Myanmar drug authorities announced the largest single seizure in Asian history of synthetic drugs, such as methamphetamine, and the supplies used to manufacture them in secretive labs. The raid in Shan State, a major hub for regional drug production, netted about 193 million tablets of meth, according to Reuters, which came out to nearly 17.5 tonnes.
Police also recovered more than 3,700 litres of methylfentanyl – an analog, or a chemical very similar, to the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl – pointing to a new, potentially dangerous turn in the market in the region.
Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are a relatively new market for Golden Triangle drug producers, who are now believed to be picking up business from China after the government there cracked down on producers.
Earlier this year in Bangkok, the Globe reported that drug safety advocate Pascal Tanguay used chemical testing to discover fentanyl in batches of heroin circulating through the Thai capital following a string of overdoses among addicts. The results of that test «terrified» the long-time harm reduction worker.

Organized crime groups are in a position to provide better quality methamphetamine at much cheaper prices compared to a decade ago, increasing affordability and harm at the same time

Inshik Sim, UNODC illicit drugs analyst

Inshik Sim, UNODC illicit drugs analyst, said meth prices have been falling over the past decade as dualing organised crime groups ramp up supply in competition for market share.
«We’re seeing these big syndicates, their business modality is small margins, big returns», he told the Globe. «They can put a lot of drugs into the market to lower the price, but they’ll get the return out of it».
With more product ready to move, traffickers are also finding new opportunities in the disruption of the coronavirus era.

This article was written by Andrew Haffner 

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