Over 1 Billion Kyats Worth of Drugs Destined for Rakhine Seized

Approximately 860,000 methamphetamine pills, valued at 1.3035 billion kyats, which were intended to be transported from Pyawbwe Township to Rakhine State, were seized near Kan Swel Village, in the Seik Cho Village Tract of Pyawbwe Township, the Myanmar Police Force announced. According to the report, a joint team including members of the Anti-Narcotics Police Force, acting on information, searched a vehicle driven by Ni Win and carrying Thein Htun on the Pyawbwe-Natmauk road around 2:30 PM on September 4th, and seized the methamphetamine pills from the vehicle. According to follow-up investigations, Nay Paing Soe (aka Jar Gyi, aka Aung Kyaw Myint), who was instructed to transport the seized methamphetamine pills from Pyin Phyar Village in Yedashe Township to Kwan Laung Village in Aung Lan Township, was arrested along with a vehicle at a hotel in the Pyat Htar (South) Ward of Mitthila Township. Furthermore, Kyaw Thar (aka Aung Kyaw), who managed the transportation and sale of methamphetamine pills, along with Ko Soe and Yu Yu Maw, were arrested with 194 methamphetamine pills (local value of 388,000 kyats), over 9.1 million kyats in cash, and a vehicle at milepost 115 on the Yangon-Mandalay Expressway. According to investigation findings, on September 5th, Ye Min Aung (aka Pa Thin) was arrested at his home in Pyin Phyar Village, Yedashe Township, and Moe Aung (aka Saline Moe Aung), who was transporting them further from Aung Lan to Ann Township in Rakhine State, was arrested in Pyat Htar Ward, Pyay Township. It was stated in the announcement that the main manager of this drug transportation and sale is Maung Win (aka Aung Sein, aka Aung Thein, aka Aung Htain), who is still at large, and the person who will further transport them to a neighboring country via Maungdaw in Rakhine State is Naing Naing Oo of the AA (Arakan Army). Those who collaborated in the repeated transportation and sale of these methamphetamine pills have been prosecuted under the Law Relating to Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, and investigations are ongoing to identify and prosecute further accomplices. Furthermore, it has been announced that actions are being taken under the Anti-Money Laundering Law to confiscate the financial profits and assets obtained from the transportation and sale of narcotics as public property.