A confrontation has emerged between the military council and the Arakan Army (AA) regarding a major drug seizure that took place on March 6 at 7:30 PM in a warehouse on Shin Phyu Shin Road, 144 Ward, South Dagon Township, Yangon Region. According to the military council’s statement, the seized drugs were worth over 96 billion kyats, including more than 3 tons of ICE (methamphetamine) and 200 kilograms of ketamine, which were allegedly being prepared for shipment to Malaysia.
The military council claimed that the drugs were managed by AA’s alleged economic officer Ye Win (aka) Kyaw Soe Lin and his wife Ma Thida Myint, owner of Shwe Kaung Tha boat. The statement detailed the arrest of five individuals – Than Lwin, Weyar Aung (aka) Thar Gyi, Than Kaung Set (aka) Paung Chain, Ye Yint Naing, and Hla Than Oo (aka) Ya Kwat – along with three vehicles. The military council further alleged that the drugs were transported under the direction of Tin Maung Win from Pangsang city in the Wa Self-Administered Region, with Than Lwin acting as the courier.
The AA strongly denied these allegations, countering that the military council, facing military defeats, was attempting to launch a political attack to discredit the AA. The AA explicitly stated they have no connection whatsoever to the drug trade. Furthermore, they pointed out that drug trafficking, gambling, and other criminal activities are primarily found in military council-controlled territories such as Naypyidaw, Yangon, and Mandalay, suggesting that military council generals are involved in these illegal activities. The AA emphasized that this kind of political smear campaign is a typical tactic employed by the military when they face military setbacks.
