DKBA-linked drug factory uncovered in Karen State forested ravine

Mizzima Special Correspondent Saw Han Htoo Zaw

A clandestine drug-manufacturing complex spanning over 650 feet in radius has been discovered deep inside a forested ravine near Thae Phyu Chaung, east of Myawaddy along the Thai-Myanmar border, with evidence linking the site to the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), according to resistance fighters who scouted the area.

The secret facility lies about 23 miles from Myawaddy. Travellers moving along the Wawlay Road must turn off at Thone Htet Kwae junction, continue past the DKBA’s Kyawt Wa Poe camp, and take a right before Kyaut Khat village, reaching Thae Phyu Chaung.

A further two-mile advance and a left turn, fighters say, leads directly to the DKBA-run drug production zone.

It was first identified by Company Commander Ko Shine from Cobra Battalion 5 under the People’s Defence Force (PDF).

In November 2022, after clashes between resistance forces, the Karen National Union (KNU) and the Myanmmar junta forced a retreat from Taung Ni village, troops used Thae Phyu Chaung then under DKBA authority as a forward base.

Fighters stationed there reported repeatedly smelling WY methamphetamine drifting from the ravine. A type of methamphetamine originally branded by the United Wa State Army (UWSA) in Shan State as ‘WY’, has become so common that it has become a colloquial term for methamphetamine in Myanmar alongside the older term, “myin say” or “horse medicine” in Myanmar.

A Mizzima military correspondent who spent 18 months covering the area confirmed the persistent scent and said multiple comrades acknowledged the existence of the facility.

Ko Shine attempted to reach the factory several times but was blocked by DKBA troops. In March 2023, he provided an interview for publication only if he was killed or resistance forces withdrew. He was later killed in the Kawkareik battle on 28 October 2023.

Video filmed by Ko Shine and later seen by Mizzima shows the scale of the operation including warehouses, buildings, raw chemicals and waste materials.

Comrade X, a PDF fighter who accompanied him, describes two WY-processing machines inside a tent, a 70-foot warehouse, a guard post, landmine traps, a dormitory, clinic, an ‘ice’ crystal methamphetamine processing facility, waste pond, burial grounds and a prison cell used for addicts.

“When we first entered the warehouse, we saw raw WY materials, dye bottles, ‘ice’ ingredients, acid drums and powders we didn’t recognise. Workers were both Myanmar and Thai. On the walls were writings like ‘I want to go home,’” he said.

Inside the main structure, they recorded blue WY packaging bags, finished tablets, tin drums of raw materials, boilers and industrial-scale drug machines.

Around 40 workers were seen.

“We cannot say who is DKBA and who is staff, but the scale shows how well equipped they are,” Comrade X said.

The forward unit was confronted by more than 10 people, including a DKBA officer.

They later confirmed on-site processing of WY, ‘ice’, opium and marijuana, as well as multiple smaller factories in surrounding forests. Three additional factory-linked camps were located but not entered due to minefields.

A former DKBA soldier said workers were not allowed to seek treatment outside the compound and were instead given traditional folk medicine. 

Nearby, fighters found at least 10 shallow graves, some containing bodies still in DKBA uniforms, with bones emerging from soil beneath banana trees.

The factory is believed to have been constructed in 2021, confirmed by satellite imagery. Cobra Battalion 5’s presence near Myawaddy since its March 2023 offensive allowed it to regain proximity to the site, though it is unknown whether the compound remains fully operational. 

Copernicus satellite images taken every five days show signs of continued activity.

Methamphetamine is reportedly cheap and abundant in DKBA-controlled areas including Min Let Pan, Kyauk Khat, Wawlay, Hpalu and Sone Si Myaing.

A former drug-using soldier said five to six WY pills cost around 100 baht. The price rises to 10 baht each for those close to the trade, with 50-pill packs selling for about 500 baht.

On 21 March, Thai authorities seized 18 million methamphetamine pills, 750 kg of ‘ice’ and 300 kg of ketamine transported from Mae Sot opposite Myawaddy on the Nakhon Sawan Highway. Thai media reported links to DKBA Chief of Staff Maj.

Gen. Saw San Aung and Military Region 1 Commander Brig. Gen. Sai Kyaw Hla.

Bangkok later shut 59 border gates for vehicle traffic following the incident.

Both Kyaw Hla and San Aung were sanctioned by the US Department of Treasury on 15 November for their involvement in cyber scam centres along the Myanmar-Thai border.

On 17 May, the Myanmar junta raided the home of DKBA 2nd Lt. Saw Thein Naing in Mawlamyine, Mon State, where meth-production materials were recovered. On 13 November, the KNU’s Karen National Police Force seized narcotics in Min Let Pan village.

The strategic road to Thae Phyu Chaung wide enough for container trucks remains active. A Mizzima reporter following a freight truck through the forest said three separate times that WY fumes seeped into vehicles along the route.

Attempts to contact Bo Dar Baw, commander of PDF Strategic Operations 32 responsible for the area, for comment were unsuccessful at the time of filing.