Five arrested in crack-down on heroin racket

by Mizzima News

Tuesday, 03 March 2009 22:04

Rangoon (Mizzima) – The military establishment in Burma has arrested at least five people since January in connection with an international drug trade. The arrests came in the wake of raids conducted in Rangoon’s upper class residential quarters, following the narcotics drug control police seizing 83 blocks of heroin from containers in a ship that was bound for Singapore on January 25. Police seized the heroin packets kept inside timber in three containers owned by Jewellery Luck Company, on a Singaporean-flagged ship 'Kota Tegap' bound for Singapore from Asia World port in Ahlone Township of the largest business city. The port is owned by Tun Myint Naing, son of a former drug kingpin Lo Hsing Han, who the US treasury Department has blacklisted. Following the raid in Rangoon port, police continued to carry out searches in FMI city in Hlaingtharyar township and seized another 320 blocks of heroin, the source said. The police had arrested Kyaw Sein, possibly a big boss of the JLC Co. Ltd. along with his brother-in-law Shwee Ann and company’s exports in-charge Win Nyunt, and three other Chinese including one woman. They were charged under the illicit drug control acts. However, the source said, Kyaw Sein, reportedly a Kokant ethnic was only detained for a brief period of about a week and was released. “He was released after he spent about a week in police custody. All charges against him have been dropped,” the source added. However, the rest continued to be detained and were interrogated to reveal the drug racket, in which they are suspected to be involved. Some of them were detained previously at the Drug Elimination Museum of Kyundaw Road and Hanthawady Road in Kamayut Township but later moved to an unknown location. But another suspected Chinese, known as Mr. Shell, reportedly escaped to the ethnic Wa controlled territory in Shan state, according to police. The initial interrogations were conducted by the Special Branch Police and the central Intelligence Department including a woman in-charge Yi Yi, said the source, who is also close to Jewellery Luck Company. Following the interrogations, the accused revealed that the heroin was brought from Pinlong areas in Shan state in eastern Burma and was transported by a truck to Rangoon transiting Shan state's capital Taunggyi. The heroin was carried in a hidden hollow space under the truck and the driver was reportedly paid 13 million Kyat, according to preliminary investigations by the police, the source said. Win Nyunt supplied timber planks in Rangoon’s upscale residential areas and the suspected Chinese men packed the heroin blocks with mica sheets, newspapers and polyethylene plastics, the investigation reveals. It is estimated that the sized drug would be worth US dollar 100 million. The source said, the Burmese police were tip-off by an international drug agency that heroin was being kept in wooden planks and were being exported to Taiwan along with the names of suspected distributors, the name of the ship and the scheduled date of the ship’s departure from the port in Rangoon. Following the tip-off, the Burmese Navy ordered the suspected ship to stop and ordered it to turn back to the Asia World terminal port. In total 180 kilograms of heroin was seized. However, the source said, there are doubts behind the release of Kyaw Sein because during the interrogation, Jewellery Luck Company’s General Manager (GM) Taung Htaik Min was seen closely associating with military leaders. "He [Taung Htaik Min] was seen at the wedding ceremony of the Burmese Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein's daughter," the source said. Sources in Naypyitaw said, several businessmen close to the junta had given gifts to Thein Sein's daughter Yin Thuzar and her husband Captain Han Win Aung at the ceremony held in a government guest house in Naypyitaw in late January.    Moreover, during the Chinese New Year, on 26 February, Kyaw Sein reportedly presented 14 high-ranking Burmese military officers with watches worth 10 million Kyats each as New Year gifts, sources added. The Jewellery Luck Company Limited was set up in 1999 and is into Hotels, Karaoke lounges, Massage parlours and Disco Clubs in Rangoon. After 2004, Jewellery Luck began an export and import business of timber and other hard woods. Aik Hawk a.k.a Hsiao Haw, an ethnic Wa businessman and son-in-law of Bao Youxiang, Chairman of the United Wa State Army is also a co-founder of Jewellery Luck Company and he left the company in late 2004, an insider said. Jewellery Luck Company has its head office at the Olympic Hotel, which is also believed to be owned by Kyaw Sein, in downtown Rangoon. The company is also known to pay its staff high salary at about 5 to 10 million kyat per month for a General Manager, and maintains a sound relationship with the military generals, the source added. (Salai Pi Pi added the additional information) < Prev   Next >