Drug manufacturing equipment seized in Northern Shan State

Authorities have seized additional equipment used in drug manufacturing in the Namlan area of Hsipaw Township and near Mongyai Town in northern Shan State, according to official sources.

Myanmar continues to treat the fight against drugs as a national duty and has been carrying out sustained operations nationwide to prevent and suppress drug production and illegal trafficking. As part of these efforts, large quantities of equipment used for online gambling fraud and drug manufacturing were seized in Hsipaw and Mongyai townships between January 9 and 11, 2026. Information on these seizures was released on January 15. On the same day, authorities also announced the discovery of additional drug-manufacturing sites about 34 kilometers northwest of Mongyai and approximately 14 kilometers northeast of Narlin Village.

Following these seizures, joint security forces continued aerial surveillance, ground intelligence gathering, and area clearance operations. At around 7:30 am. on January 16, suspicious structures were found about 19 kilometers southwest of Mongyai Town and around 15 kilometers northwest of Man Phyat Village. Security forces conducted clearance operations in the area and uncovered further drug-manufacturing facilities and equipment.

The items seized included one building measuring 20 feet by 40 feet used for drug production, one 50-by-20-foot residential hut, one structure containing six steel trays used for mixing drugs, another building measuring 120 feet by 40 feet, two drying machines, one warehouse storing white powdered drugs, one 120-by-20-foot residential building, five large generators, one loader, one bulldozer, 100 blue barrels, 50 white containers, 40 gas cylinders, and approximately 50 bags containing chemical substances still under verification. 

Similarly, at around 11:45 am., suspicious structures were found about 2 kilometers northwest of the location where the arrest was made on January 15, about 15 kilometers southeast of Sein Kyawt village near the Thibaw- Mongyai road. They conducted a search and found 35 tents that could accommodate 5 people and were used for drug production, 1 Lovon backhoe, 2 bamboo warehouses measuring 30 feet long and 15 feet wide, 70 15-gallon acid drums, 1 tent measuring about 300 feet long, 3 drying trays, 3 drug production furnaces, 150 gas cans, 150 alum bags, 500 sulfuric acid drums (liquid), 1,000 ash drums, 150 bags of caustic soda packed in sacks, 300 cardboard boxes containing soap dishes were found and confiscated. Further searches were conducted. In the afternoon, a building 90 feet long and 40 feet wide with two boilers used for drug production, two water tanks, a Liugong loader, and three tents 40 feet long and 20 feet wide were found and confiscated about 4 kilometers northwest of the location.

The seized drug production equipment will be further examined in detail by a team of experts, transferred to relevant departments, and systematically burned and destroyed. Since there are still suspected drug production sites in the area, the area will be cleared.

The government will continue to use all available resources in the country to combat and prevent drugs that undermine the country's reputation and destroy the entire human race. The government is continuously working with the public, using its resources, and cooperating with the international community. It is necessary to report information about drugs to the authorities in a timely manner, and effective and severe action will be taken against any organization involved in the seized drugs.