A major confrontation has erupted between the Arakan Army (AA) and the military council over a significant drug seizure in Yangon’s South Dagon Township, with the military council claiming AA involvement and the AA strongly denying these allegations. According to the military council’s statement, drugs worth over 96 billion kyats were seized from a warehouse on Shin Phyu Shin Road in Ward 144, South Dagon Township, on March 6 at 7:30 PM. The seized items included over 3 tons of ice (methamphetamine) and 200 kilograms of ketamine, reportedly being prepared for shipment to Malaysia.
The military council claimed that the drugs were being managed by Ye Win (aka) Kyaw Soe Lin, allegedly AA’s economic officer, and his wife Ma Thida Myint, who owns the Shwe Kaung Tha boat service. The operation resulted in the arrest of five individuals – Than Lwin, Weya Aung, Than Kaung Set, Ye Yint Naing, and Hla Than Oo – along with three vehicles. According to the military council’s statement, the drugs originated from Pangsan city in the Wa Self-Administered Region under the supervision of Tin Maung Win, with Than Lwin acting as the transporter. Additional arrests were made of individuals allegedly involved in redistributing the drugs in Yangon.
However, the AA has vehemently rejected these accusations, stating that this is a political attack by the military council, which is currently suffering military defeats. The AA issued a strong statement denying any connection to the drug seizure and pointed out that drug trafficking, gambling, and criminal activities are primarily found in areas controlled by the military council, such as Naypyidaw, Yangon, and Mandalay. The AA emphasized that such activities are typically linked to corrupt military council officials and their associates. They characterized the military council’s accusations as a typical political smear tactic employed when facing military setbacks, stating that there is absolutely no connection between the AA and the drug trade.
