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UN Says Myanmar’s Opium Hits 10-Year High as Trafficking Broadens

UN officials link the spike to war-driven economic collapse that fuels armed groups’ finances.

Overview

  • The UN’s 2025 Myanmar Opium Survey finds cultivation up 17% to 53,100 hectares and estimates output at about 1,010 tonnes, now more than twice Afghanistan’s.
  • Chin State, bordering India’s Manipur, recorded a 26% rise to 1,040 hectares, while East Shan rose 32% and Kachin 3%, confirming Myanmar as the leading known source of illicit opium.
  • UNODC data show East and Southeast Asia seized a record 236 tons of methamphetamine in 2024, with most supply believed to originate from labs in Myanmar.
  • Recent interdictions indicate expanding routes into northeastern India and unusual seizures of Myanmar heroin in Nigeria and parts of Europe.
  • India reports heavy local impacts: Manipur mapped 45.68 sq km of illegal poppy in 2023–24 and security forces cite roughly 10–20 kg of heroin intercepted daily along the Myanmar border.