6 people arrested with 200,000 WY ecstasy pills in Rakhine State

At least six people were arrested along with 200,000 WY ecstasy pills worth more than Kyats 300 million within three days from Maungdaw, the western border town of Rakhine State, which is adjacent to Bangladesh.

The stimulating pills were seized by the junta border authorities on 19, 20 and 22 October.

In the morning hours of 22 October, 146,250 pills labeled WY/R were seized from the possession of two persons from a nearby place to the ruins of a mosque in western side of Kyi Gan Byint village adjacent to Maungdaw-Kyin Chaung road.

They transported the methamphetamine pills on a motorcycle and later both of them were detained.

The arrested individuals are identified as U Aung Hla Thein and Thein Zaw hailing from Aung Thayar village under  Kyi Gan Byint locality in Maungdaw township.

A person close to Maungdaw police station revealed that both of them only carrying the WY pills to deliver in return of some money

"They were used by U Maung and Ko Ko Kyaw from Phawat Chaung village. Later they were also arrested from the Kyi Gan Byint border police point," he added.

Similarly on 20 October, 32-year-old Ko Kyaw Zan Min  (aka Ko Zan ), who lives in Maungdaw city, was arrested along with 27,000 methamphetamines labeled WY/R with an estimated value of Kyats 540,000.

Kyaw Zan Min  confessed that he bought the pills from Ko Kyaw Ye Aung, a resident of Maungdaw Ma (South) ward, to be sold. The police are now looking for Kyaw Ye Aung.

Earlier on 19 October, 35-year-old Abu Fay yeil (aka Babula), a resident of Maungni ward, was arrested with 8,500 methamphetamines labeled WY/R from his motorcycle.

A local resident revealed that those pills are not produced in Maungdaw. He expressed displeasure that those pills had entered rural areas even though there are many military checkpoints in various localities. Those stimulating pills should be prevented from entering into Rakhine State, he added.

All those arrested under various sections of the Narcotics Act are being interrogated along with a few others.

From 10 January till the second week of September this year, no less than 18 Yaba tablet sellers were arrested in Rakhine State along with 1263,637 pills, including 300 ICE and some volume of ecstasy powder, revealed the statistics of Rakhine State military council.