Many people are blatantly selling and using drugs in Mogaung Town in Kachin State’s Mogaung Township, but no action has been taken, locals reported.

A town resident told MNJ that the number of drug users in Mogaung has risen significantly since the coup, with sellers openly offering drugs like in a bazaar, and that the proportion of young users is clearly increasing.

“Now we see some drug users injecting themselves by the roadside. Young people are also using drugs more and more. Most of them aren’t yet using syringes, but are taking drugs like methamphetamine. From there, it could eventually lead to heroin use,” he said.

He added that even in the central wards of Mogaung town, the drug trade is happening openly like a bazaar, with authorities making no arrests, and some police even colluding with drug traders to cover up these activities.

Around Watkone market, near the township hospital, drug users with syringes can be seen at any time outside market hours.

A woman in her 20s said that methamphetamine use is becoming increasingly common among young people.

“Drug users are getting bolder because they know the police won’t arrest them. Some even walk around injecting themselves with syringes, while others openly smoke on the streets. They don’t have to worry since they’ve already made deals with the police,” she said.

Locals explained that the police used to take money from drug dealers, which is why they made no arrests. Pat Jasan, a community-based anti-drug group, used to operate in Mogaung, but it can no longer function, worsening the situation.

Town residents said it is both troubling and worrying to see young people gaining easy access to drugs.

In fact, not just in Mogaung Town but across Kachin State, drug trafficking, robberies, and burglaries are on the rise, while enforcement remains weak.