NONG KHAI, Thailand —A village watchman trains his binoculars on a suspicious fishing boat — the first line of defense as Thailand braces for a fresh methamphetamine influx after a coup in neighboring Myanmar.
The kingdom’s narcotics bureau has already seized more than 80 million “yaba” pills just in the past six months, a record haul partly blamed on a supply glut caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
But now the United Nations warns of an even bigger deluge as Myanmar’s legal economy tanks, following weeks of nationwide unrest and strike action following the military takeover.
“If past actions are an indicator of what’s coming, then we’re likely to see another increase in…
Keep on reading: Thailand faces meth trafficking surge after Myanmar coup