MYANMAR SEIZES OVER 6,000 KG DRUGS IN 1998

YANGON, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Anti-narcotics authorities in Myanmar seized 404
kg (889 lbs) of heroin, 5,393 kg (11,865 lbs) of opium and 381 kg (838 lbs)
of marijuana in 1998, the Myanmar News Agency said on Thursday.

The haul was sharply lower than the 1,401 kg (3,082 lbs) of heroin and
7,883 kg (17,343 lbs) of opium seized in 1997.

The news agency said action was taken against 4,845 people, including 842
women, in 3,946 drug-related cases in 1998. It did not elaborate.

This compared with action taken against 5,361 people, including 915 women,
in 3,864 drug-related cases in 1997.

Poppy growing and opium- and heroin-processing are rampant around Myanmar's
northern border.

Myanmar's northern fringe forms part of the infamous Golden Triangle, which
straddles the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, and is a key producing
region for opium and heroin traffic to Western countries by drug
syndicates.