Myanmar's opium production soars to a nine-year high

The United Nations reports that Myanmar's production of opium has surged to a nine-year high. In 2022, it weighed almost 795 tons, almost twice as much as the army's production of 423 tons in 2021. Coup. 

The UN believes that this is a result of increased global prices for opium resin, which is used to make heroin, as well as economic hardship and insecurity. 

A large portion of Myanmar was plunged into a bloody civil war that continues to this day. 

According to Jeremy Douglas, the regional representative for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), "farmers in remote, frequently conflict-ridden areas in the Shan and border states together have no choice but to return to opium due to the disruptions in governance that followed the military takeover in February 2021."

The Golden Triangle, which is where the borders of Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos meet, has long been a significant source of opium and heroin production. 

The Russia-Ukraine war, ongoing political instability, and skyrocketing inflation, according to a UN report released on Thursday, provide "strong incentives" for farmers to resume or expand opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar's economy in 2022. 

After Afghanistan, Myanmar is the second largest opium producer in the world. The majority of heroin sold worldwide originates in these two nations. The opium industry in Myanmar is thought to be worth up to $2 billion (£1.00).

6 billion), while the regional heroin trade is estimated to be around $10 billion, according to UN estimates.

 However, opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar has steadily declined over the past ten years as a result of crop replacement projects and improved economic opportunities. 

However, the UN's annual opium survey reveals that Myanmar's production has resumed. 

In 2022, opium production reached an all-time high of 870 tonnes, the highest level since 2013. 

The United Nations has also observed even larger increases in the production of synthetic drugs since the coup.

This has replaced opium as a means of financing armed groups operating in Myanmar's war-ravaged border regions. 

However, opium is a much more labor-intensive product than synthetic drugs, making it an appealing source of income in a nation where many alternative employment opportunities have vanished due to the economic crisis that followed the coup. 

Last year, opium growers saw their profits soar to $280 per kilogram, a sign of the crop's popularity as a commodity and high demand. a significant supplier of numerous narcotics, including heroin, morphine, and codeine.

The United Nations reports that Myanmar's opium production has increased dramatically, reaching a nine-year high. In 2022, it weighed almost 795 tons, almost twice as much as the army's production of 423 tons in 2021. blow. 

The United Nations believes that this is a result of increased global prices for opium resin, which is used to make heroin, as well as economic hardship and insecurity. A large portion of Myanmar was plunged into a bloody civil war that continues today.

 The regional representative, Jeremy Douglas, stated, "Farmers in remote, frequently conflict-torn areas in the Shan and border states have been left with little choice but to return to opium after the government disruptions following the military takeover in February 2021.

" In support of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). 

The Golden Triangle, which is where the borders of Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos meet, has been a major source of opium and heroin production in the past. 

According to a UN report released on Thursday, the war between Russia and Ukraine, current political instability, and skyrocketing inflation are some of the external and internal crises that Myanmar's economy will face in 2022. 

These crises offer farmers "strong incentives" to resume or expand opium poppy cultivation.

After Afghanistan, Myanmar produces the most opium in the world. The majority of heroin sold worldwide originates in these two nations. 

The opium industry in Myanmar is estimated to be worth up to $2 billion (£1.00). 6 billion), while the regional heroin trade is estimated to be approximately $10 billion, according to UN estimates.

 However, opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar has steadily declined over the past ten years as a result of crop replacement projects and improved economic opportunities. 

However, the UN's annual opium survey reveals that Myanmar's production has resumed. In 2022, opium production reached an all-time high of 870 tonnes, the highest level since 2013. The United Nations has also observed an even greater rise in the production of synthetic drugs since the coup.

This has replaced opium as a means of financing armed groups operating in Myanmar's war-ravaged border regions. 

However, opium is a much more labor-intensive product than synthetic drugs, making it an appealing source of income in a nation where many alternative employment opportunities have vanished due to the economic crisis that followed the coup. 

As a result of opium's popularity as a crop and commodity and high demand, opium growers saw their profits soar to $280 per kilogram the previous year a significant supplier of numerous narcotics, including heroin, morphine, and codeine.

A German man was taken into custody on suspicion of providing Russia with intelligence.

A German national has been taken into custody on the charge of high treason for allegedly being a part of a plan to give Russia intelligence information. 

With the assistance of the FBI, the man, who will only be referred to as Arthur E., was apprehended at Munich Airport on Sunday connected to a German employee of the BND who was detained in December on suspicion of spying for Russia. According to the prosecution, Arthur E is not employed by the intelligence community.

Instead, they think he told the Kremlin about his friend, a jailed BND officer who goes by the name Carsten L for privacy reasons, making him a possible treasonous accomplice.

The suspected double agent was later sentenced to eight years in prison for leaking documents to the CIA and Russian intelligence. 

For the first time since Markus Reichel, a BND employee was arrested in December on suspicion of high treason in 2014 saw his arrest of him.

 Arthur E., the alleged Russian spy held by German intelligence, returned to Germany after arriving from the United States and was arrested there. 

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, concerns about Russian spying in Europe have grown.

In October, the media said that the German cybersecurity chief had connections to people who worked for Russian intelligence agencies.

 He was fired. While working as a reserve officer for the German army, a man was found guilty of leaking information to Russian intelligence the following month.