Acid, heroin refining camps in Kutkai Township raided

Yangon, 27 May –

The Government, designating the drug elimination tasks as a national duty, has

drawn a 15-year plan to eliminate drugs and has been implementing the plan since

1999-2000. Cooperation have been made with neighbouring countries and

information have been exchanged with them for drug preventive measures.

Plans have been drawn and implemented with added momentum in

the country. In doing so, a combined team comprising members of local

intelligence unit, Myanmar Police Force and Tatmadaw columns, acting on

information, cleared the estimated point (O-904413) near Hophyet Village in

Kutkai Township, Shan State (North) on 25 May 2002. A culprit was captured dead

during the raid of an acid refining camp.

The combined force seized 640 gallons of spirit in 16

barrels, 120 gallons of kerosene in three barrels, 312 gallons of ether in 78

4-gallon containers, 38 glass jars and 18 kerosene stoves.

Then, the combined team cleared the estimated point

(O-889422). They encountered an armed group comprising about ten members and

opened fire. The combined team seized a heroin refining camp with two heroin

refining huts, two drugs-stores, two huts for filtering opium and a hut.

Two armed group members were shot dead together with one M-23

Chinese-made machine gun, four small arms and 201 rounds of ammunition, 75 kilos

of heroin (grade-3) in 75 packets, 27 kilos of morphine (grade-2) in 27 packets,

three kilos of a morphine block, 60 gallons of spirit in two barrels, 250

gallons of ether in 50 5-gallon containers, 8 gallons of acetic anhydrite in two

4-gallon containers, 50 gallons of chloroform in one barrel, 300 kilos of

ammonium hydroxide, 12 bags of quicklime, 100 packets of bone-charcoal, 120

soap-boxes, one 2-KV generator, 2 iron sieves and 49 other drug-related

equipment. The police station concerned opened a file for these seized

materials.