More than $1 billion worth of synthetic drugs seized in Southeast Asia

Seizures of synthetic drugs worth more than $1 billion (€950 million) were made in Southeast Asia during a major international police operation in July and August, Interpol announced on Wednesday (September 11). Mobilizing police from Australia, Cambodia, South Korea, Burma, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam, the operation, dubbed “Lionfish Mayag II” took place from July 22 to August 7. It resulted in the arrest of 29 people and 58 seizures of narcotics.

“Drug trafficking remains the cornerstone of transnational organized crime”said Jürgen Stock, secretary general of the Lyon-based international criminal police organization, in a statement. Since 2013, the “Lionfish” operations have generated seizures worth $4.65 billion (over €4.2 billion) and more than 5,600 arrests in 108 countries.