Methamphetamine seizures in the East Asia region hit 236 tons last year, up 24% from 2023, with most of this taking place in Southeast Asia, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Thailand alone seized about 130 tons last year, becoming the first country in the region to intercept more than 100 tons in a single year.

Most of the meth originated in the "Golden Triangle," a region spanning the jungle frontiers of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos.

"The 236 tons represent only the amount seized; much more methamphetamine is actually reaching the market," said Benedikt Hofmann, UNOD's acting regional representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, in a statement.

"While these seizures reflect, in part, successful law enforcement efforts, we are clearly seeing unprecedented levels of methamphetamine production and trafficking from the Golden Triangle, in particular Shan State," he added.

On June 17, Indonesia's National Drug Agency announced its largest-ever bust: two tons of methamphetamine seized after a five-month sting operation tracking shipments from the Golden Triangle.

The haul is estimated to have a street value of between $200 million and $400 million (€171 million and €341 million).

Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, told DW that there have been........

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