Drug traffickers continue to use Thailand's northern border as major route to smuggle narcotics into the country to further to other destinations in the world prompting concern for authorities of both Thailand and Myanmar.

The successful Doi Tung developoment program is now seen to be applied by Myanmar authorities to solve the border drug trsfficking.e

This year alone, authorities have managed to seize almost 30 million methamphetamines or ‘Ya Ba’.

A majority of villages on the border with Myanmar have been used as collection and distribution centres which have forced authorities from both sides of the border to implement village development programmes in order to reduce dependence on narcotics trafficking.

Latest seizure in Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai last month netted 200,000 methamphetamine or ‘Yaba’ pills and a further 13 kgs of ICE worth an estimated 50 million baht.

One of such centres sits approximately 100 meters from the Thai–Myanmar border.

Drug traffickers attempted to cross over into Thailand by using boat to cross the Mae Sai River at the Wieng Hom ferry.

In one case, they had apparently dumped the cache of narcotics and fled upon seeing the number of authorities at the crossing.

The narcotics were concealed within vacuum sealed bags of tea and the entire cache was liberally sprinkled with ground pepper powder in an attempt to hide the scent.

From the vantage point on the Doi Chang Moob slope along the border of Mae Sai district sits Baan Pha Khao village on the Myanmar side of the border.

The village has been used as a collection and distribution center for drugs from within Myanmar before being transported across the border into Thailand.

In the past, Myanmar drug enforcement authorities had seized almost 10 million ‘Yaba’ tablets at this very village.

The villagers, being poor and impoverished had no choice but to make a living by being pawns for local drug syndicates.

More here: Thai-Myanmar drug control effort underway using successful Doi Tung model - Thai PBS English News