Myanmar torches $600 million in seized heroin, meth and other drugs

Thick clouds of black smoke billowed into the sky on the outskirts of Myanmar’s largest city Friday as authorities burned more than 50 tons of heroin, opium, ketamine, methamphetamine, marijuana and crystal meth — some $600 million of confiscated illegal drugs destroyed nationwide

Thick clouds of black smoke billowed into the sky on the outskirts of Myanmar’s largest city Friday as authorities burned more than 50 tons of heroin, opium, ketamine, methamphetamine, marijuana and crystal meth — some $600 million of confiscated illegal drugs destroyed nationwide.

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Myanmar, also known as Burma, has a long history of drug production linked to political and economic insecurity caused by decades of armed conflict.

It has been a major source of illegal drugs destined for East and Southeast Asia, despite repeated efforts to crack down, and has long been one of the world’s largest producers of heroin and methamphetamine.