{
  "id": 4912119,
  "title": "Jeremy Douglas on Southeast Asia’s Drug Boom",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/jeremy-douglas-on-southeast-asias-drug-boom",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-01T09:50:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Diplomat",
    "slug": "the-diplomat",
    "url": "https://thediplomat.com/2026/09/jeremy-douglas-on-southeast-asias-drug-boom/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Jeremy Douglas, deputy director of operations at the UNODC, recently discussed the surge in drug production in Southeast Asia. He explained that the region has become the largest epicenter of synthetic drug production, with 90 percent of seized methamphetamine and ketamine coming from the Mekong region in Southeast Asia. This concentration surpasses that of North America, and Myanmar has emerged as the largest source of synthetic drugs in the world.\n\nThe shift to synthetic drugs like methamphetamine and ketamine began in the early 2000s in the Golden Triangle, specifically in Shan State, Myanmar. Initially, the drug was known as yaba and was primarily produced for the Thai market. However, by 2010, crystal meth started appearing in other parts of Southeast Asia, with some production originating in Myanmar.\n\nA significant turning point occurred in 2015 when a major crackdown on methamphetamine labs in Lufeng, Guangdong, China, caused a displacement effect. Organized crime syndicates that had previously focused on heroin production shifted their operations to Myanmar, investing in labs in collaboration with ethnic armed groups. This shift in production location and focus has led to the unprecedented levels of drug production currently seen in Southeast Asia.",
  "summary": "\"This is a region that is arguably now the largest epicenter of synthetic drug production in the world,\" says the UNDOC deputy director.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}