（曼谷综合讯）犯罪集团利用冠病疫情与缅甸政局动荡扩大贩毒活动。东亚与东南亚地区去年缉获的冰毒药丸数量就高达10亿颗，是历来最高纪录。
联合国毒品和犯罪问题办公室（UN Office on Drugs and Crime，简称UNODC）昨天针对东亚与东南亚地区的贩毒活动发布最新报告。
根据报告，各国执法部门缉获的甲基安非他命药丸（Methamphetamine，俗称冰毒）重达172吨，是10年前的约七倍，药丸总数达10亿颗。供应激增已导致泰国与马来西亚冰毒市价跌至新低点。
不过被缉获的结晶甲基安非他命（Crystal Methamphetamine）则略有减少，从2020年的82吨减至去年的79吨，但仍远高于10年前低于10吨的数量。
UNODC东南亚和太平洋区域代表道格拉斯（Jeremy Douglas）在声明中指出，东亚和东南亚地区的冰毒及合成毒品贩运规模令人震惊。
他说，犯罪集团正利用东南亚政局动荡与冠病疫情的影响扩大毒品市场牟取暴利，而关键的是“他们有一大群具消费能力的人口作为销售对象”。
UNODC区域合成毒品分析员也指出，毒品价格的暴跌意味着那些原本买不起毒品的人更加容易取得冰毒。这将带来严重的社会影响，而且东南亚各国仍缺乏相关的医疗服务，令人担忧。
东南亚里的“金三角”一直是恶名昭彰的贩毒热点，老挝、泰国与缅甸三国边境管制不严，执法松散，使得当地毒枭得以生产大量冰毒，并外销到世界各地。
UNODC发布的报告指出，缅甸北部的掸邦仍是东南亚冰毒的主要产地，并且有越来越多的冰毒被运往老挝，然后途经泰国最后运抵马来西亚，再由马来西亚贩运到亚太地区国家。
(Bangkok Composite) Criminal syndicates are taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic and myanmar's political turmoil to expand drug trafficking. One billion meth pills were seized in East and Southeast Asia last year, the highest number ever recorded.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) yesterday released its latest report on drug trafficking in East and South-east Asia.
According to the report, law enforcement seized 172 tons of methamphetamines, or 1 billion pills, about seven times more than a decade ago. The surge in supply has pushed the market price of methamphetamine to new lows in Thailand and Malaysia.
Seizures of Crystal methamphetamines declined slightly, from 82 tons in 2020 to 79 tons last year, but were still well above the below 10 tons a decade ago.
Jeremy Douglas, UNODC's Regional representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said in a statement that the scale of methamphetamine and synthetic drug trafficking in East and Southeast Asia is staggering.
Criminal syndicates are taking advantage of the political turmoil and the coronavirus pandemic in Southeast Asia to expand the drug market for huge profits, he said, and crucially, "they have a large spending population to sell to."
UNODC's regional synthetic Drug analyst also points out that the slump in drug prices means methamphetamine is becoming more accessible to those who could not otherwise afford it. This will have serious social implications and there is still a worrying lack of health services in South-east Asia.
Southeast Asia's "Golden Triangle" has long been a notorious trafficking hotspot, with lax border controls and lax law enforcement in Laos, Thailand and Myanmar allowing local drug lords to produce large amounts of methamphetamine for export around the world.
According to the UNODC report, The Shan State in northern Myanmar remains the main source of methamphetamine in Southeast Asia, and more methamphetamine is being shipped to Laos, then Thailand on its way to Malaysia, from where it is being trafficked to countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
