Synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine have driven a global surge in drug abuse, and drugs themselves are becoming more potent, a Singaporean official has said.

The border guard force of An Giang province in the Mekong Delta reported on January 3 that it had worked with relevant authorities to arrest a man involved in trafficking 22 kg of drugs from Cambodia into Vietnam.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on May 28 published a report showing that 190 tonnes of methamphetamine was seized in East and Southeast Asia in 2023, a record level.

Police in Tonpheung district, Laos' northern province of Bokeo have recently apprehended two suspects and seized 166 bags of crystal methamphetamine weighing 166kg, reported Lao media on March 26.

Myanmar’s Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC) on January 11 announced that the Myanmar navy has seized 1.45 tonnes of methamphetamine worth over 36.25 billion MMK (17 billion USD) in its territorial waters.

Thai police have seized 300 million THB (8 million USD) worth of drugs, the police's representative said on September 28.

Cambodian authorities arrested 9,034 drug-related suspects, including 167 foreigners, during the first half of 2023, according to the country’s Anti-Drug Police Department (ADP).

The People’s Court of the northwestern province of Son La handed out 10 death penalties and one life sentence to members of a drug trafficking ring during trials from June 1-5.

The Thai army has tightened security along the northern border following reports of greater quantities and varieties of illegal drugs flowing into the country from Myanmar.

Anti-drug forces of East and Southeast Asian nations seized over 1 billion meth tablets in 2021, according to statistics announced by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crimes (UNODC) on May 30.

Indonesian police have recently smashed a drug smuggling ring, seizing 2.5 tonnes of methamphetamine which were being transported to the country from Afghanistan.

The People’s Court of the southwestern province of Tay Ninh on April 13 sentenced Unachukwu Chiluba Paulinus, a Nigerian man born in 1996, to death for illegally transporting narcotic substances under Clause 4, Article 250 of the 2015 Penal Code.

Customs and police officers in Ho Chi Minh City on November 24 found more than 20kg of drugs of various kinds when checking nine express delivery parcels.

Myanmar authorities seized a large haul of narcotic drugs in Shan state, the country's Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC) said on July 5.

Police in the northern midland province of Phu Tho have detained three men and seized 7kg of methamphetamine smuggled from the northwestern border province of Dien Bien.

Police of the central province of Nghe An have arrested two Lao drug traffickers, seizing 20 bricks of heroin and 12kg of methamphetamine.

The People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City on October 7 sentenced eight defendants to death and another to life imprisonment for trafficking 379 heroin bricks weighing over 132kg and 55kg of methamphetamine.

Myanmar authorities have seized large haul of controlled chemicals in its central region of Mandalay, the Central Committee for the Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC) said on September 17.

Vietnamese police are working with their Chinese peers to investigate a drug production ring in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum.

A ring trafficking drugs from Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City has been uncovered by the city’s police after more than four months of investigation.