East, Southeast Asia had record methamphetamine seizures last year. Profits remain in the billions

By GRANT PECK
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — A new United Nations report says East and Southeast Asia are awash in record amounts of methamphetamine and other synthetic drugs. It traces their source largely to the cross-border region known as the Golden Triangle where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet. It estimates that close to $80 billion per year in profits is feeding back into the region’s illicit economies. The Golden Triangle area has seen decades of political instability. And the reach of its drug trade is growing. The new report says the drugs are sent as far as South Korea, Australia and New Zealand and other Pacific nations.