With help from the community and ethnic armed groups police have completed nearly one-hundred illicit drug investigations resulting in the arrest of over a hundred suspects in Karen State in the last two months.
Police Force’s Police Captain U Than Win said: “The police procedures for exposing drug [cases] are broader than arresting other [non-drug-related] criminals. We are able to successfully stop them within a short time due to cooperation from the public and armed groups.”
Illicit narcotics valued at over 295 million kyats have been seized and 153 suspects (121 male and 32 female) have been arrested. In some of these cases police found that suspects had weapons.
Anti-Drug leader Ko Myint Aung and member of Youth Power said that drugs have become very popular amongst some of the youth.
“Young people in the Karen State are using drugs like it’s a fashion. Drug dealers encourage them to become addicted so they can use them to sell it [to others].”
Drug pushers often take up residence in hostels, he said, hoping the police can go after the big dealers.
According to the Karen State Police Force, in the last six months police have conducted 217 drug busts and arrested a total of 350 suspects. Weapons were confiscated in 15 of these cases.
Story by Ka Saw Wah/KIC News
Translated by Thida Linn
Edited by BNI staff
