The Arakan Army (AA) has strongly denied allegations made by the military council linking them to a major drug seizure in Yangon’s South Dagon Township. 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 of South Dagon Township on March 6 evening. The seized items reportedly included over 3 tons of ice (methamphetamine) and 200 kilograms of ketamine.
The military council claimed that the drugs were being managed by an alleged AA economic officer named Ye Win (aka) Kyaw Soe Lin and his wife Ma Thida Myint, who owns the Shwe Kaung Tha boat service. They were allegedly preparing to transport the drugs to Malaysia. The statement also mentioned the arrest of five individuals – Than Lwin, Weyar Aung, Than Kaung Set, Ye Yint Naing, and Hla Than Oo – along with three vehicles. The military council further detailed that the drugs were being controlled by Tin Maung Win from Pangsang in the Wa Self-Administered Region and transported by Than Lwin.
In response, the AA issued a statement categorically denying any connection to the drug seizure, asserting that this was a political attack by the military council, which is currently facing military setbacks. The AA emphasized that drug trafficking, gambling, and other criminal activities are primarily found in military council-controlled areas such as Naypyidaw, Yangon, and Mandalay, attributing these issues to corruption and misconduct by military council officials. The AA pointed out that such accusations typically emerge when the military council is experiencing military defeats, describing it as their standard tactic of political smearing.
The AA maintained that this pattern of political attacks and attempts to discredit them whenever the military council faces military setbacks is a characteristic dirty political tactic. They firmly stated that they have absolutely no involvement in drug trafficking and characterized the military council’s allegations as purely political attacks aimed at damaging their reputation. The AA emphasized that these baseless accusations are part of the military council’s broader strategy of using political smear campaigns when they are losing ground militarily.
