The Opium and Heroin Business Is Booming in Southeast Asia's 'Golden Triangle' (2024)

Opium poppy cultivation in Southeast Asia’s “Golden Triangle” has tripled since 2006 and remains the primary means of subsistence — and the drug of choice — for farmers in many parts of rural Myanmar and Laos, according to a new UN report.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that cultivation in the two countries rose marginally this year, up to 63,800 hectares from 61,200 hectares in 2013. The vast majority of that production — which yielded an estimated 762 tons of opium and, after refinement, 76 tons of heroin — took place in Myanmar’s Shan state.

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Shan includes parts of the so-called “Golden Triangle,” a lawless region along the border with Laos and Thailand. The state is notorious for its turbulence amid the simmering, half-century long civil war with the government in Yangon.

Southeast Asia’s war on drugs is a grotesque failure, but why stop? Read more here.

Despite cultivation remaining roughly static, lower “farm gate” prices — the cost at which farmerssell their product to wholesalers —and eradication efforts caused Myanmar’s overall opium production to fall by nearly a quarter, from 870 tons in 2013 to 670 tons this year.

Poppy growing in Myanmar remains below the peak it reached in the mid and late 1990s. A nationwide eradication effort saw an 86 percent fall in cultivation between 1998 and 2006. But growing regional demand and a lack of economic options for growers has led to a steady uptick in cultivation in the years since.

‘It’s a tremendous problem in these remote areas — these are virtually drug economies.’

Today, only Afghanistan, where growers planted some 224,000 hectares of opium in 2014, devotes more land to the crop.

While the average household in Myanmar not growing opium poppies in 2014 earned around $1,730, those who grew poppies made about 15 percent more —$2,040 according to the UN’s estimate. Across Southeast Asia, the trade in opiates and heroin was estimated at more than $16.3 billion this year.

“These are extremely poor areas of Myanmar,” Jeremy Douglas, UNODC’s representative in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, told VICE News. “Until those people get better connected into a large development plan, they aren’t going to have much chance to move away from this economy.”

Seven important truths about how the world takes drugs in 2014. Read more here.

The burgeoning demand for opiates is fuelled largely by China, were the number of heroin users has risen by roughly 500,000 since 2007, to 1.3 million. Douglas said many users consider heroin from the Golden Triangle purer than Afghan heroin.

Preliminary UN data shows opium use grew 83 percent in poppy-producing regions of Myanmar, and heroin use more than doubled in the same areas. In Kachin state, a secondary but sizeable growing region, the UN estimated that one in 25 people over age 15 used opium this year. In some towns, addicts inject heroin openly, and media reports have depicted local police even joining in with them.

Douglas concedes that many of UNODC’s figures may be underestimating the true nature of drug use in rural areas where locals are reticent to admit they use.

Perhaps more troubling in Myanmar was an 87 percent increase in the use of amphetamine-type substances (ATS), most often ingested in the form of highly-cut uppers called “yaba.” Yaba is widespread in Southeast Asia, and in recent years has appeared in India and Bangladesh, often selling for as little as $1 per pill. Unlike opium, which to an extent can be tracked with aerial and satellite imagery, meth labs are hard to pick out.

The labs, which have cropped up with regularity in many former opium-growing areas, are easily supplied with a steady quantity of precursor chemicals from China.

UN warns of unprecedented surge in synthetic drug use worldwide. Read more here.

“It’s a tremendous problem in these remote areas — these are virtually drug economies,” Nicolas Swanstrom, director of the Institute for Security and Development Policy in Stockholm, told VICE News. “It’s difficult to overestimate the impact these illegal economies can have.

“I think when UNODC makes these assessments, it can really be much larger,” added Swanstrom, who carries out research in Myanmar several times every year. “You see the effects, people being high or low – it has to be bigger than the official estimates.”

Myanmar, like most Southeast Asian countries, has strict prohibitionist laws against drug use and trafficking. In 1988, the regional bloc ASEAN aimed to make the Southeast Asia drug-free by 2015. Critics say that approach, and a lack of viable alternatives for growers, ensures no long-term solution can be reached — and leaves a place for organized crime to flourish in anarchic regions.

“It doesn’t make sense any more to think in terms of drug-free deadlines,” Martin Jelsma, coordinator of the Transnational Institute’s drugs and democracy program and co-author of a 2014 report titled “Relapse in the Golden Triangle,” told VICE News in July. “It’s an illusion that you can make the drug market disappear when in fact the size of the market has not been reduced at all.”

Follow Samuel Oakford on Twitter: @SamuelOakford

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The Opium and Heroin Business Is Booming in Southeast Asia's 'Golden Triangle' (2024)

FAQs

The Opium and Heroin Business Is Booming in Southeast Asia's 'Golden Triangle'? ›

The "Golden Triangle" region of Southeast Asia has become the center of a thriving opium economy and a crucial source of narcotics for the world. The current oversupply has led to warehousing of huge quantities of opium, making the heroin problem in the area intractable and a spreading heroin epidemic possible.

What is the Golden Triangle in South Asia? ›

The Golden Triangle is located in the area where the borders of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet at the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong Rivers.

Is opium still grown in the Golden Triangle? ›

Significant progress has been achieved in reducing illicit opium poppy cultivation in the region in recent decades. Overall, opium poppy cultivation has been contained.

What was the triangular opium trade? ›

The triangular trade in Opium- Britain smuggled opium from India to China and used it to pay for Chinese tea. The history of the world is inextricably linked to the history of trade, in particular, the widespread trade of goods obtained on the back of atrocities and those capable of shaping our entire monetary system.

Why might there be an increase in the number of opium farms in Southeast Asia? ›

Expert-Verified Answer. There might be an increase in the number of opium farms in Southeast Asia because the prices of crops are declining. Many farmers only means of income is farming and with the decline in prices, it makes them to turn to other mean of income.

What is Southeast Asia's so called Golden Triangle? ›

The Golden Triangle is a large, mountainous region of approximately 200,000 km2 (77,000 sq mi) in northeastern Myanmar, northwestern Thailand and northern Laos, centered on the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers.

What is the Golden Triangle known for? ›

The Golden Triangle is a region in Southeast Asia where the borders of Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos meet at the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong Rivers. This region is known for its high production of opium, which is used to make heroin.

Which country has the most opium? ›

Myanmar is now the world's largest producer of opium, overtaking Afghanistan, a UN report says. Its opium production this year is estimated to rise by 36% to 1,080 tonnes, far ahead of the 330 tonnes Afghanistan reportedly produced.

What is the biggest producer of opium? ›

Myanmar is now the world's largest opium producer, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported on Tuesday, as the economic and political crisis following the 2021 coup and widening conflict between the military and armed groups continues to drive farmers towards illicit opium poppy production.

Where does 90% of the world's opium come from? ›

Around 90% of the world's opium comes from Afghanistan, and most of it is destined for the illicit market.

Who stopped the opium trade? ›

By 1729 it had become such a problem that the Yongzheng emperor (ruled 1722–35) prohibited the sale and smoking of opium. That failed to hamper the trade, and in 1796 the Jiaqing emperor outlawed opium importation and cultivation.

Who won the opium trade? ›

Britain won the war in 1842, leading to the Treaty of Nanking. This treaty gave Hong Kong Island to Britain, allowed for free British trade with any merchants in China, and forced China to pay damages for the destroyed opium.

Who profited from the opium trade? ›

It was a competitive, highly volatile market. But those who worked for Perkins and a few other firms became the city's elite — otherwise known as Boston Brahmins. The Cabots, Cushings, Welds, Delanos (the grandfather of Franklin Delano Roosevelt) and Forbes all built fortunes on opium.

Which country is rich in opium? ›

Afghanistan has long had a history of opium poppy cultivation and harvest. As of 2021, Afghanistan's harvest produces more than 90% of illicit heroin globally, and more than 95% of the European supply. More land is used for opium in Afghanistan than is used for coca cultivation in Latin America.

Who brought opium to Asia? ›

Early history

Historical accounts suggest that opium first arrived in China during the Tang dynasty (618–907) as part of the merchandise of Arab traders.

How did opium affect China's economy? ›

Beyond the health problems related to opium addiction, the increasing opium trade with the Western powers meant that for the first time, China imported more goods than it exported. Settling this financial problem eventually led to the First Opium War between Great Britain and China, from 1839 to 1842.

What is the purpose of the Golden Triangle? ›

The golden triangle is used to form some points of a logarithmic spiral. By bisecting one of the base angles, a new point is created that in turn, makes another golden triangle. The bisection process can be continued indefinitely, creating an infinite number of golden triangles.

What does the Golden Triangle represent? ›

The golden triangle shows the relationship between sport, the media and sponsorship. It represents the commercial – money-making – nature of sport. The relationship varies enormously for different sports and sports events.

What is the meaning of Golden Triangle area? ›

noun. the Golden Triangle. an opium-producing area of SE Asia, comprising parts of Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand. any more or less triangular area or region noted for its success, prosperity, influence, etc.

Where is the Golden Triangle and why is it controversial? ›

Controversies Surrounding the Golden Triangle

Due to its strategic location between Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand, the area has become a major hub for narcotics production and trafficking. The opium poppy fields that once dominated this region have been a source of contention.

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