Fishermen have found more than half a tonne of suspected Crystal meth floating in the sea near the Ayeyarwady Delta in sacks labelled for fish food, police have told Myanmar Now.
The bizarre find of around 650 kilograms of ice, as the drug is also known, is one of several major seizures in recent years that underscores the enormity of the narcotics trade in Myanmar.
“As far as I know it’s crystal meth [but] we’ll have to wait for the laboratory results,” said Police Major Than Win Tun.
Fishing boats were plying the waters near Amah in Pyapon township on Wednesday when people onboard noticed the mysterious bundles bobbing in the water.
Local resident Zaw Win, who helped bring the drugs to the police station, said the fishermen had no idea what the substance was when they first opened the sacks.
“They brought them from the sea to their bosses to burn because they thought it was plastic resin,” he told Myanmar Now. “Then when the smoke made them start fainting they reported it to the authorities.”
The sacks had the words “food for fish” written on them in Burmese, while smaller packages inside were marked with the Chinese symbols for “green tea”.
Bobo Min Zaw, a regional MP in Ayeyarwady, said police from the Drug Enforcement Division began their investigation on Wednesday evening.
Police have so far received a total of 23 sacks, most of which contained 30 one-kilogram bags of ice. Local residents said some of the sacks were pierced and contained less than 30 packages.
Officials used loudspeakers Wednesday evening and Thursday morning to warn the residents not to keep any of the drugs if they found more.
Myanmar is believed to be the world’s largest producer of methamphetamines. In March authorities seized over 1,700 kilograms after stopping a boat off the coast of Kawthaung Township.
