Inside world ‘crime capital’ where heroin lords gamble in ‘underworld Vegas’ & drug addicts glug deadly ‘happy water’

Brutal dictators

Mark Farmaner says the Shwe Kokko scam epicentre was created with the cooperation of the Burmese Military.

But now, with no government, the poppies are grown in plain sight.

Mark Farmaner says: “The Myanmar military allows drug use in ethnic states, they see it as a way of weakening resistance to their rule, but don’t tolerate it in central Myanmar. 

Jungle drug factories

It isn’t just heroin that is rife – the country is also one of the world’s largest manufacturers of synthetic drugs, including methamphetamine, ketamine and fentanyl. 

This scares a lot of banks. Many had already been scared off by the coup and the conflict but the fear of corruption causes a huge amount of problems.

But Myanmar has been plagued by corruption in recent years and has now been named as the world’s organised crime hotspot.

Criminals often pose as state officials representing the police to convince victims to pay them fees and provide their national ID card and bank account details.

China-backed communist insurgents in Shan state were also involved in conflicts but when China stopped backing the expansion of communism, many of these separated into ethnic-based armed groups which became involved in drugs.

Since the military coup of 2021, the South East Asian state has become a hotbed for international crime with warlords, human traffickers, drugs syndicates and cyber criminals using the war-torn country as their base.

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Most locals adhere to a Burmese religion based around the worship of Nature Spirits which are regularly celebrated in wildly fun festivals.

The United Nations estimated last year that at least 120,000 foreigners were being forced into the cyber crime and online gambling industries in Myanmar. 

Mark Farmaner

“So they managed to get some of the Karen army to split. They then took over an area of land where the Burmese Military said ‘do what you like here.’

Mark Farmaner, Advance Myanmar

Before the coup, elected officials and foreign bureaucrats had tried to convince Shan opium farmers to grow legitimate crops such as avocados, coffee and corn. 

This has led to many locals becoming hopelessly addicted.

They are then held prisoner and forced to work in enclaves run by warlords, in inhumane and abusive conditions, often subjected to torture and violent threats if they don’t comply.

Some have been fooled into thinking they were going for legitimate jobs, after applying through adverts promising extravagant perks, and others were kidnapped off the streets of China.

“The impact on the local people of the global criminal network on their doorstep is huge,” says Mark.

Under British rule (1824 to 1948) we brought the whole region together as Burma and, after we left, the Bamar wanted it all to remain part of Burma, rather than the ethnic communities controlling their own land and their own natural resources. 

Before the military coup, farmers grew their poppy crops in secret away from the prying eyes of the authorities.

“On one trip to Karen State in Myanmar I asked people if they report the drug problem to police and what the police do. They laughed and said the police station is where young people go to buy the drugs.”

“A lot of the criminal gangs running these scam centres have no respect for human rights, they are very brutal and authoritarian. And they are funded by the drugs and the illegal scam centres.

But there are a substantial amount of ethnic minorities around the country, particularly in the mountainous border areas, which were never fully under the control of the Burmese kings. 

Opium ravaging the country

In the Shan region of Myanmar the opium poppy is known as ‘the peace flower’, which is ironic as criminal gangs fight for dominance over its lucrative trade.

Ravaged by civil war, thousands have been killed, three million displaced and entire towns destroyed.

The illegal gambling boom has helped to create a  “mini Las Vegas” on the country’s border with Thailand.

And the country is filled with incredible Buddhist temples, with ancient capital cities like Amarapura, Sagaing and Inwa filled with beautiful stupas and pagodas.

They are acting effectively like brutal dictators. They can do what they like and local people are too afraid to speak out

But with its stunning poppy fields, Myanmar – previously known as Burma – has become a major player in the international drug trade.

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Mark Farmaner, Director of UK-based charity Advance Myanmar, says the drug trade has being going on for years and has been facilitated by the Burmese Military.

The history of Myanmar’s struggles

By Mark Farmaner of Advance Myanmar

It may be a lonely widow looking for love, who is duped into thinking she is talking to an admirer before being persuaded to hand over thousands in hard-earned cash, or a would-be investor lured in by a crypto-currency scam.

KNOWN as the Golden Land, it is one of the most beautiful places on the planet, boasting unspoilt beaches, majestic mountains and stunning temples.

The area also depends heavily on illegal gambling, according to the Global Organised Crime Network, with casino operations targeted at Chinese nationals continuing to grow.

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