Army officers involved in massive illegal smuggling attempt
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A captain and a sergeant from the Myanmar Army were alleged of having involved in the smuggling of over 10,000 bags of ammonium nitrate, which can be used to make explosives.
In the illegal convoy consisting of 17 lorries were also various illegal electronic items worth over Ks 2.5 billion, according to the anti-smuggling mobile enforcement team.
The smugglers used the Military Import Form (MI Form) to transport illegal items from China to Myanmar. The MI Form was found to have been misused in Muse by the captain and the sergeant from the Eastern Command.
The two officers were apprehended at the Naungcho check-point on January 24, and they are being investigated by the North-East Command, said officials from the mobile team.
The mobile team refused to give the number of the brigade to which the army officers belong but said they have been taken to their respective headquarters to face justice in accordance with the rules and regulations of the army.
This is the third time illegal chemicals have been seized while being smuggled into Myanmar, the mobile team said.
President Thein Sein organised a central committee for the prevention and control of illegal trading in 2012 and the mobile teams are now inspecting goods at airports, seaports, roads and border trade areas. In total, they seized illegal goods worth of over Ks 5 billion between the 2011-2012 and 2013-2014 fiscal years.
This seizure had the largest volume and highest value of any illegal import attempt to date in Myanmar. The mobile teams have seized almost Ks 6 billion worth of illegal goods in the 2014-2015 fiscal year.
Fighting along the border weakens Myanmar’s inspection capacity and allows the smuggling of illegal products in and out of the country.
Earlier this month, over 100 Chinese nationals were arrested for illegal logging.
This week, more Chinese citizens have been arrested and 4,529 logs were seized in Waimaw, Kachin State, according to officials from the state’s Forestry Department.
"We made more arrests. Another eight Chinese nationals were arrested along with a seizure of 4,529 logs which were due to be smuggled. We also seized 11 logging vehicles," said an official from the department.
"The process to classify the types of the logs and tonnage is now under way. We are making more searches," he continued.
With support from government troops, the authorities arrested 132 Chinese citizens and 19 Myanmar nationals from January 2 to 6 in Waimaw for illegal logging.
A new operation led to the eight further arrests, the forest officials said.
The Chinese nationals are being held in Kachin and will face legal action.
Interrogation found that they entered Myanmar annually to smuggle timber out of Kachin State.
A military aerial surveillance operation in early January led to the arrests.
The official seizures included one backhoe, two cranes, 436 logging trucks, four passenger vehicles, two double cabs and nine motorbikes.
