The United States has provided equipment to the Myanmar Police Force's Drug Enforcement Division (DED) to assist in the disruption of drug trafficking, which affects communities across Myanmar and the region, according to a press release on 1 March.

The official equipment transfer ceremony took place at the DED Yangon Drug Crime Center. DED and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Yangon office concluded a joint workshop on the operation of the new equipment and its implementation in the field as part of ongoing law enforcement cooperation.

The DEA Myanmar Country Attaché Michael Brown and the Head of the DED, Police Brigadier General Win Naing, discussed U.S. cooperation on drug interdiction efforts, particularly in addressing the influx of essential precursor chemicals, which is fueling the rapid expansion of methamphetamine production in Myanmar.

“The transfer of the equipment was conducted in support of DEA’s longstanding partnership with the DED related to the investigation and disruption of significant drug trafficking organizations in Myanmar,” DEA Attaché Brown stated. The DEA has a three-decade history of supporting counternarcotics efforts in Myanmar.

“The U.S. remains committed to assisting Myanmar to identify and disrupt drug trafficking groups, and we will continue to work closely with law enforcement agencies to develop the skills required to combat the increasingly sophisticated methods used to manufacture and distribute narcotics, especially methamphetamines, in the form of Yaba and crystal meth (also known as ICE) throughout Myanmar and the Indo-Pacific region,” said Greg Naarden, the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement director from the U.S. Embassy.