The Golden Triangle

The Golden Triangle is an area in Southeast Asia where the jungle borders of the countries of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand converge along the MeKong River. This area which is the home of various ethnic minority militias, some of whom are partners in the drug trade. Most methamphetamine, in the form of tablets and crystal meth, come from this area. Transnational crime groups are receiving profitable stimulus because of the incentives large demand for heroin in this region. There is a two-way trade involving chemicals going in and heroin coming out of the Golden Triangle area (United Nations 2014). Not only are these crime groups bringing in the chemicals needed to make heroin, but are they are also trafficking and distributing the drug to markets by land, sea and air all around Southeast Asia and the Pacific. As shown on the map below, even though the Golden Triangle is mostly jungle, there are roads and rivers which allow the transportation of drugs out of the area for distribution.

In 2022, 40,000 hectares (99,000 acres) of opium poppies were cultivated in Myanmar, with an estimated potential opium yield (from which heroin is made) of almost 800 metric tons. This nearly doubles the estimates for 2020 of 400 metric tons. This increase is due to healthy, organized and dense poppy fields. The income from opiates is increasing, making it an important source of revenue for the area. (United Nations 2023)

In northern Thailand there is fighting between the drug cartels and the security forces of Thailand who are trying to stop the flood of enormous quantities of drugs coming from the Golden Triangle. Stopping the flow of drugs is made even more difficult due to the heavily-militarized and largely-lawless territory the producers and traffickers operate from in the Golden Triangle (Doyle 2023)

Researching the drug production and trafficking of the Golden Triangle, which is just one area responsible for the immense drug crisis facing the entire world, it is understandable where and how the United States is receiving a portion of its drugs. With the lack of government intervention in the countries growing the product, creating the necessary chemicals used in creating the illicit drugs, and looking the other way when the crime syndicates transport the final product, we can expect the drug problem in our own country to keep increasing and for our people to keep dying. How this problem is to be solved is a question I have to leave unanswered.

Golden Triangle:  an area of Southeast Asia encompassing parts of Myanmar (Burma), Laos, and Thailand

hectares: a metric unit of square measure, equal to 100 acres (2.471 acres or 10,000 square meters).

MeKong River: a trans-boundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia

Resources:

Doyle, Kevin. “‘Tip of the Spear’: Battling the Golden Triangle’s Drug Lords.” Aljazeera Media, 2 Mar. 2023, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/2/hld-tip-of-the-spear-taking-on-the-golden-triangles-druglords. Accessed 26 Sept. 2023.

Saksornchai, Jintamas, and Grant Peck. “UN Anti-Drug Agency Warns There Is No Let-up in Methamphetamine Trade from Asia’s Golden Triangle.” AP, 2 June 2023. https://apnews.com/article/asia-golden-triangle-drugs-report-methamphetamine-e761e1aacb0074f2286e65c752e276b61.

“Opium Poppy Cultivation Estimates Increase in Myanmar in 2022 against Backdrop of More Sophisticated Production: UNODC Report.” United Nations, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 27 Sept. 2023, htpps://onodc.org. Accessed 27 Sept. 2023.

“Opium Poppy Cultivation in “Golden Triangle” Hits New High in 2014 – UN Report.” United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) , 8 Dec. 2014, news.un.org/en/story/2014/12/485662. Accessed 28 Sept. 2023.

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