Police in Kawkareik Town, Karen State have arrested three people on suspicions of drug dealing. The suspects, one man and two women, were arrested for allegedly selling methamphetamine pills, also known as ‘ya ma’.
Police Chief Aung Oo from the Special Anti-narcotic Force in Kawkareik Township told Karen News that the three arrested were identified as U Than Naing, who used the pseudonym Poe Htaw, Ma Wai Wai Cho and Ma Lay, also known as Ma Ka Done, all are from Kawkareik Town.
“We conducted the raid on the suspects after being informed. We arrested U Than Naing at his home with processing of illicit drug amphetamine 44 pills. Then we also arrested Ma Wai Wai Cho and Ma Lay in connection with the drug dealers along with processing illicit drug amphetamine 12 pills.”
The three suspects are currently being held at the town’s police station and are charged with drug dealing.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a resident of Kawkareik Town said they doubted the arrests would have much impact on the local drug trade.
“These arrests have affected only the subordinate dealers. The main dealers are still not being arrested. The main dealers seem connected with organizations. It is possible to carry out the arrest if the authorities want to make it. The problems with drug dealers won’t stop if the authorities do not pay close attention and make arrests continuously. The authorities need to suppress the drug problems effectively.”
Over the last month, police in the town have carried out five separate drugs cases against local dealers. Drugs remain a problem along the porous Thai Burma border. A police operation in August at the border town of Myawaddy, opposite Thailand’s town of Mae Sot, captured 34,860 methamphetamine pills with an estimated street value of 104,580,000 Kyat (USD $106,500).
