NEWS -Myanmar Says Heroin, Opium Se

[BurmaJapan@xxxxxxx]

Myanmar Says Heroin, Opium Seizures up in 1997

               Reuters
               27-JAN-98

               YANGON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Myanmar (Burma) said on
Tuesday that its
               anti-narcotic squads seized a total of 1,401 kgs (3,082
lbs) of heroin and 5.03
               million amphetamine tablets in 1997. 

               Also seized were 7,884 kgs (17,345 lbs) of opium and 288
kgs (633.6 lbs) of
               marijuana, according to a report released by the Central
Committee for Drug Abuse
               Control. 

               It said the total amount of drugs seized last year was
much bigger than in 1996,
               when 504 kgs (1,108.8 lbs) of heroin, 1,300 kgs (2,860
lbs) of opium and 263 kgs
               (578.6 lbs) of marijuana were seized. 

               The street value for a kilogram (2.2 lbs) of heroin was
$1.5 million in Tokyo and $2.0
               million in New York, a committee spokesman told Reuters. 

               Myanmar authorities took action against 5,361 persons,
including 915 women, in
               connection with 3,864 drug-related cases last year, the
report said. 

               In 1996, action was taken against 5,540 persons,
including 1,013 women, in 3,771
               drug-related cases, it said.