Confessions about trafficking of narcotic drugs operated by AA
The government has raised, as a national duty, the momentum of effectively eradicating trafficking in narcotic drugs, which are posing a great menace to the entire mankind, including new generation youths.
Moreover, it has also been extensively conducting inspections, exposures and seizures on the routes of transporting narcotic drugs, and seized ICE, more than two tones of methamphetamine,
and 800 kilogram Me’s of precursor chemical caffeine, valued at Ks-51.87 billion, from members of the Arakan Army (AA) group, Which is trafficking them on various legs of road and water routes, from Shan State to Rakhine State.
Their confessions are as follows:
Confession of Ma Ei Ei Khin (alias) Ma Ei, who transported narcotic drugs from Shan State to Yangon
“Nang Shwe Phyu and I went to Lashio to meet a person, called Maung Naing. At that time, I didn’t have a job and it was difficult to get a job. I was asked, “We have a job. Will you do it?” Then, I happened to meet that person, Maung Naing. He told us, “You will get Ks-10 million for the trip.” As it was a big amount, we accepted the job. I asked him whether it was heroin or raw opium. He said it was not the sort of narcotic drugs, and they had arranged everything, having packaged them all. He said we had only to sit in and ride the car. Nang Shwe Phyu fetched the packages from the forest. In Lashio, we hired a car. We put the things on the hired car and also on my car.
“We went up to Aung ban on that car. He hired the car for us for Ks-600,000. On the previous trip, we brought only a small amount, depending on the situations along the route.
I was together with Nang Shwe Phyu. As we came to know that it was safe for us on the previous trip, we brought a larger volume on the current trip. When we arrived Yangon, it was night time. In the morning, Nang Shwe Phyu got telephone connection with the person at the destination. I called her and asked, “Where are you?” She said she was on her way to the 10th-Mile where she would transfer the packages. I had had some dispute with her, and she had not brought me with her. But when I called her again.
She was not at the 10th-Mile.
It was Danyingon . She told me to come to Danyingon . So, I hired a taxi to follow her up to Danyingon.
“After leaving Lashio, we had to pass by Mongyei, Nampao, Indaw, Kyaukgu, and Yaksawk.
But before we reached Yaksawk, we stopped in a forest for the night, where there were a food shop and a hot spring. After sleeping there for one night, we left in the morning. After going across Yaksawk, we reached Aungban. In Aungban, there was a car from Yangon waiting for us. The car driver, called Yan Naing Soe, telephoned us. He said he slept in Aungban because it was already dark.
He said he would give us a phone number in the morning.
In the morning, we contacted that phone number. The person who held the telephone gave us another phone number. The holder of the phone was called “Naw Naw”, a young, male Rakhine national. We told Naw Naw to come to Danyingon to collect the packages. It was at the Danyingon junction.
“I’m very repentant. It is worse when my family came to know about it. I’m now every repentant.”
Confessions of U Hla Win (alias) Thar Gyi, friend of Kyaw Myat Oo (alias) Thar Thar (alias) Wai Thar Tun, who is in the rank of a colonel, in charge of Economic Affairs, of AA, who gave instructions on accepting the narcotic drugs that arrived Yangon and transporting them to Sittwe, Rakhine State
As instructed by Kyaw Myat Oo (a) Thar Thar, who is in the rank of a Colonel, I had to transport narcotic drugs from Yangon to Rakhine State. Kyaw Myat Oo (a) Thar Thar and I have been friends since childhood as neighbors. In the first week of August, 2023, Kyaw Myat Oo (a) Thar Thar contacted me by phone. He said narcotic drugs were going to arrive, and gave me the telephone number of Second Lieutenant Naw Naw, his subordinate. He said Naw Naw would contact me. Then, I got links with Naw Naw. Car drivers also telephoned me. I connected the car drivers with Naw Naw, second lieutenant of AA. Second Lt. Naw Naw went to fetch the drugs. He called me when he arrived at the warehouse. He said 25 sacks of ICE were already in the warehouse. As I had been told by Kyaw Myat Oo (a) Thar Thar, I asked Second Lt. Naw Naw to bring out the 1-kilo sacks from paper boxes and re-package them neatly.
“For the second time, Kyaw Myat Oo (a) Thar Thar rang me in the third week of August, 2023, and told me that more narcotic drugs had arrived.
“Second Lt. Naw Naw contacted the car driver and went to fetch the drugs. When he arrived at the warehouse, he called me and said he had received 16 sacks of ICE. In the fourth of week of August, Kyaw Myat Oo (a) Thar Thar rang me and told me to bring the ICE in the warehouse to Vessel “Taninthayi.”
Then, I called Second Lt. Naw Naw and told him to transport the things in the warehouse to Mottama Port in Shwepyitha.
He called me again when he had dropped off the things at the port. Only at that time, Kyaw Myat Oo (a) Thar Thar asked a person who was travelling to Yangon to hand Ks-10 million over to me. He said it was the award for my performance in August.
“Again in the first week of November, 2023, Kyaw Myat Oo (a) Thar Thar contacted me Confessions about trafficking of narcotic drugs operated by AA and said more narcotic drugs would arrive soon. He also gave me the phone number of the car driver. Then, I got contacts with the car driver. The driver told me to transfer the drugs near Ocean Hotel at 9th-Mile.
So, I rang Second Lt. Naw Naw of AA and asked him to come to Ocean Hotel at 9th-Mile. I did not remember the place where this hotel was. He said there was a car in the underground parking lot. I didn’t see any person there. I told Naw Naw I would bring the Super Custom car there. Then, I brought Naw Naw’s car. I told him I had received 57 sacks of ICE.
In the second week of November, Second Lt. Naw Naw informed me that he had received 40 sacks of the drug. One or two days later, Naw Naw told me that the Shwepyitha Industrial Zone Management Committee would inspect the warehouses in the zone. I relayed the information to Thar Thar. Naw Naw told me that he wanted to put cement in the warehouse and transfer the drugs to a car. I told Thar Thar what Naw Naw had said. So, Thar Thar asked me to buy a car, and also cement and transfer them to Naw Naw.
So, I bought a truck of Canter brand for Ks-32 million. The cement I bought cost Ks-4.9 million.
I received the money from a person near Insein Market under Thar Thar’s arrangement by phone. We loaded the drugs in paper boxes onto the truck, and asked the driver to go to Lanmadaw. The truck was parked in Lanmadaw for seven days, and in Pabedan, another seven days. Because the clutch of the truck was not good, we had it repaired at a workshop in Myittha Street in South Okkalapa Township. The drugs were seized by the police there.
But according to Naw Naw’s words, he received the drugs three times within the month, totalling 38 sacks.
“In the second week of November, Kyaw Myat Oo (a) Thar Thar, in the rank of a colonel of AA, contacted me by phone.
“He told me he would send a person, called Soe Tun, who was to work together with Naw Naw. He asked me to rent a house for Soe Tun. Soe Tun and I went to North Dagon to look for a house to rent. We found a house, which Soe Tun liked, in Ward 34. Thar Thar sent the rental money through a person to me, and asked me to sign a one-year agreement at Ks- 650,000 per month.
“In February 2022, Kyaw Myat Oo (a) Thar Thar rang me and said narcotic drugs would be transported by water. He asked me to buy a motorboat. He also said he would also send a person.
We got contacts with the owner of a vessel called “Taninthayi”.
The owner mentioned the price of the motorboat as Ks-80 million.
“In August 2023, we transported narcotic drugs for the first time on motorboat “Taninthayi.”
Kyaw Myat Oo (a) Thar Thar, in charge of Economic Affairs, of AA, gave money for all the costs the costs for warehouses in which narcotic drugs were to be kept, for the cars and trucks, for the houses for AA members to live in, and for the motorboat, including service money “Ks-10 million” for me.
I assume that the proceeds from selling the narcotic drugs are used for buying arms and ammunition and for recruiting.
“Now, I am repentant of my collusion with the AA group, harming the nation and the young people.”
Confessions of Kyaw Soe (a) Nay Lin Tun (a) Naw Naw, in the rank of Second Lieutenant of the AA group, who received the narcotic drugs that arrived in Yangon and transported them to Rakhine Statein person, under the instructions of Kyaw Myat Oo (a) Thar Thar (a) Wai Thar Tun, in the rank of a colonel, in charge of Economic Affairs of AA
“I’m Kyaw Soe (a) Nay Lin Tun (a) Naw Naw, in the rank of Second Lieutenant of AA.
My personnel No. is 0104. I joined AA in 2010, and attended a 45-day military training course.
Then, I served as a private in a section. I went to Sein Yu Bone Mountain to join in an operation. I served the duty of caring for agriculture and livestock breeding at the AA base unit up to 2022. Afterwards, I was sent by Colonel Kyaw Myat Oo (a) Thar Thar (a) Wai Thar Tun, in charge of Economic Affairs, to Yangon for transport of narcotic drugs. Colonel Kyaw Myat Oo (a) Thar Thar (a) Wai Thar Tun asked me to rent a warehouse in Shwepyitha for storing narcotic drugs. I rented a warehouse for Ks-2.5 million per month, and stored narcotic drugs in it. I had to bring the drugs to Mottama Port in Shwepyitha Township and load them onto the motorboat.
“Colonel Kyaw Myat Oo (a) Thar Thar (a) Wai Thar Tun said I must receive narcotic drugs from Than Win (a) Yan Naing. I received 620 (one-kilo) sacks of ICE at Danyingon junction on the 5 of August one time; 400 (one-kilo) sacks of ICE at the same junction on 15 August one time;
140 (one-kilo) sacks of the drug at the car parking lot of Ocean Hotel on November 7 one time, under the instruction by phone of Colonel Kyaw Myat Oo (a) Thar Thar (a) Wai Thar Tun; 40 sacks of the drug near a market at Danyingone junction on November 10 one time;
175 (one-kilo) sacks of the drug at the same junction on November 23 one time; 90 (one-kilo) of the drug at the same junction on November 24 one time; and 600 (one-kilo) sacks of ICEat the same junction on November 25; totalling seven time.
“I brought 3,025 sacks of ICE and 40 sacks of narcotic drugs and stored them in the warehouse.
Under the instruction of Colonel Kyaw Myat Oo (a) Thar Thar (a) Wai Thar Tun, I put the narcotic drugs in paper boxes and stored them in the warehouse. Colonel Kyaw Myat Oo (a) Thar Thar (a) Wai Thar Tun asked me to send the narcotic drugs in 51 paper boxes to Mottama Port in Shwepyitha. So, I hired a Hijet for transporting the drugs. I entrusted the narcotic drugs with a person called Soe Paing (a) Soe Soe who was on the motorboat “Taninthayi”.
“Colonel Kyaw Myat Oo (a)Thar Thar (a) Wai Thar Tun directly asked me to take charge of the drugs in Yangon. He gave me Ks-300,000 per month during my service. In the past, we didn’t get any salary. It was only in my service with the narcotic drugs that I got a monthly salary of Ks-300,000. Major General Tun Myat Naing also knew about our activities in narcotic drug trade. Actually, we were doing them under his command.
“AA members also sent the narcotic drugs to other regions and countries. Before I was arrested, I had heard about the seizure of narcotic drugs which were about to be sent to Malaysia.
The seizure took place when they were about to be sent by water. The traffickers were AA members. In fact, we, AA members, felt self-conscious in using the money, the proceeds from the sales of narcotic drugs. I feel upset for my having sent the narcotic drugs to Sittway by water for the first time. I also feel repentant.
You will now hear the confessions of Soe Paing (a) Soe Soe who sent the narcotic drugs from Yangon to Sittwe by water.
Confessions of U Soe Paing (a) Soe Soe, who transported narcotic drugs from Yangon to Sittwe
“In April 2022, Ko Thar Gyi contacted me and asked me to work in Yangon. The work was to drive a motorboat. Then, I arrived in Yangon in May. He made me contact with a person, called Ko Kyaw Han, who was in Yangon. Ko Kyaw Han and I went to the motorboat. On the motorboat, there were three persons on security. They went back home when we took over the boat.
“On the following days, more persons arrived to work on board through the connections of Ko Kyaw Han and Ko Thar Gyi. My salary was Ks-500,000 per month. In addition to the salary, they occasionally issued Ks-300,000 to Ks-500,000 in advance, as necessary, to me. I made a total of seven trips between Yangon and Sittwe on Taninthayi-I motorboat.
“Up to the sixth time, I had transported 5,000 bags of cement on the motorboat from Yangon to Sittwe. On the seventh time, 460 bags of rice were loaded onto the motorboat at the Shwepyithar port. Then, more bags of cement were loaded at Miba Myitta port near the Shwepyitha port. At that port, 51 paper boxes were loaded after cement.
“When the paper boxes were about to be loaded, Ko Thar Gyi called me and said the paper boxes were important, and asked me to take care of them.
He also gave me the phone number of the person who would send the paper boxes to the port. He said that person would come to contact me.
“A person, whom I later came to know as Naw Naw, contacted me and dropped off the 51 paper boxes from a Hijet. He said Ko Thar Gyi would give me Ks-5 million on completion of the trip. On my trip from Yangon to Sittwe, I cruised from Yangon River to Khanaungto Creek, where I laid the anchor. At the time of flood tide, I cruised along the Twantay Canal, passing Maubin, Wakema and Myaungmya.
After passing from below Ngapudaw, I proceeded to Hainggyi, and then, Mawtinsun, and cruised along Ngayokkaung- Chaungtha-Gwa coast. Then, I went straight to Sittwe.
“When I was young, beginning from 2003, I drove motorboats in Taungup and worked honestly.
Then, jobs were scarce, and I arrived here through the contacts of Ko Thar Gyi, who said I was just to transport legal goods. If I had known that the goods were illegal, I would not have chosen this work. Only now did I know that AA members and transport of illegal goods were involved. I feel really upset. I have two sons. I feel greatly sorrowful for the our existence and for the future of my sons.
I was told I had only to transport cement, and work within the framework of law. This happened without knowing that narcotic drugs would be involved. I must say that they have used me. I feel really upset for having transported the goods without knowing that they were illegal.
I beg the pardon of young people and parents of Rakhine for my wrongdoing.
I want to tell them not to abuse these things. I think that these things would be sent from Sittway to other countries across the border. I have heard about the seizures of such narcotic drugs at border. I also assume that AA should not use the proceeds from selling the narcotic drugs for young Rakhine people and arms and ammunition.
Confessions of Kyaw Han (a) Hsan Shay, who was in the rank of sergeant in the AA group, who transported the narcotic drugs from Yangon to Sittwe by water.
“I’m a member of the AA group, Sergeant Kyaw Han with personnel No 0287. On 5 January 2016, an AA member came to fetch me. Then, I was made to attend a course in Kyauktaw Township. The course was completed after May. They gave me a personnel number on completion of the course. I had to take care of the plantations.
In May 2016, I had to live at Meewah Camp, and had to participate in building more camps. That was a time when more and more camps were built near Padauk.
“Armed clashes took place when the Myanmar Tatmadaw columns entered the area. At that time, two privates fell on our side. We fled the scene of engagement.
“On fleeing, we reached Kokesi. It was within MraukU Township, and we stayed there.
We did casual work. As I didn’t have a secure job, staying with other persons, I moved to Pauktaw Township. I was staying there in hiding. While staying there, I rode boats carrying sand and stones. In 2021, a person, called Aung Hsan Oo, contacted me and asked whether I wanted to work. He said I had to ride a motorboat, by which AA transported goods.
“I replied to him that I would work. Then, he sent me to Yangon, after giving me Ks-200,000. After arriving Yangon, I was sent to Seikkyi- Khanaungto.
The place where there was “Taninthayi” motorboat. Then, I started working onboard. The motorboat transported goods.
On the last voyage from Yangon to Sittwe, 7,000 bags of cement, 46 bags of rice and 51 paper boxes of narcotic drugs. They were loaded at Mottama port in Shwepyitha. After arrival at Sittwe, our motorboat was anchored amid the water, and members of AA came to fetch the goods on motorboats and small-engine boats. The narcotic drugs and goods were owned by AA. It took five days (four nights) to cruise from Yangon to Sittwe.
Confessions of Soe Tun, in the rank of second lieutenant, of the AA group, who transported narcotic drugs to Bangladesh
I am an AA member.
Private number is AA 0178.
The officer number is AC 0304.
I am Soe Tun and I'm in the rank of second lieutenant.
I joined the course of AA in 2012. I started the course in August and completed in October.
In January 2015, after being promoted to the rank of sergeant, Thar Thar (a) Wai Thar Tun , who was in the rank of a colonel, called the AA headquarters and told us that we had to do drug trafficking in Mandalay. So we came to Mandalay from the AA Laiza base to do drug trafficking.
One day or two after I arrived, a person named Kyaw Min Htay from the AA group came to me.
After being there, about three or five months later, drugs arrived there with 12-wheeler trucks. We opened the narcotic drugs carried by the trucks, took pictures and then we showed it to in the rank of Colonel Wai Thar Tun via We Chat. After we showed it, we had to check it again there. The drugs came to us by 12-wheeler trucks.
Sometimes they were carried by cars like oil tankers and 4-wheel cars. During 2015 and 2016, we received the drugs once a month or once in two months. We had first received 20 sacks of drug and kept them in the warehouse. At the instruction of in the rank of Colonel Wai Thar Tun, we had to send the drugs to MyaukU, Kyauktaw and Sittway in Rakhine State by trucks. After I was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant in 2019, I went to northern Rakhine State in around 2020 at the request of Thar Thar (a) in the rank of Colonel Wai Tha Tun, and when I arrived in the north of Moungtaw, AA group planned for me to stay there.
Then I had to work together with Ko Aung Gyi, Ko Naing Shay and Ko Pu. There, I had to send drugs and motorbikes to the Bangladesh border by motorbikes. And so we reached the border. We sent them to Bangladesh border about five times. About 20 to 30 were sent once. In our words, we called one box, two boxes and etc...
Ten rods are called a box. We used to send 20 rods or 30 rods once. When we reached the border, the brokers from Bangladesh picked them up. When I lived in Maungtaw, Rakhine State, I used to send narcotic drugs to Bangladesh for about a year. Around November, Thar Thar (alias) Wai Thar Tun who was in the rank of colonel in AA group said that I must do drug trafficking in Yangon.
Arriving in Yangon, I stayed with lieutenant Tun Lin and second Lieutenant Naw Naw in a warehouse in Kanaung Minthagyi street, Zone -1.
On 23rd November 2023, Second Lieutenant Naw Naw went by taxi and took the ICE—three bags contain one kilo (20) packets and one bag contains 15 packets totalling 75 packets. When they arrived at the warehouse, Naw Naw, Lieutenant Tun Lin and I packed them with paper. On 25th November, Naw Naw left me at a tea shop at the Pearl Street intersection.
He took the drugs in another car and dropped them at that warehouse. After that, he picked me up by car. When I arrived at the warehouse, Second Lieutenant Naw Naw, Lieutenant Tun Lin and I packed and the with 600 bags, one-kilo 20 packets and stored them in the warehouse.
The car that brought the drug called Second Lieutenant Naw Naw. Since the drugs had already arrived, we went to pick it up with the ALPHARD car.
At first, he arranged to meet at Pearl intersection, but later he arranged to meet at 14th Street intersection, so we went.
They asked for the type and number of the car, and in the rank of Second Lt. Naw Naw said the type and number of the car. At the 14th street intersection, one person waved and made our car stop. As soon as I got out of the car, I was arrested.
The person who is the main leader of this drug business is in the rank of colonel Thar Thar(a) Wai Thar Tun, who is in charge of economic affairs of AA group. It is not possible in the rank of Major General Tun Myat Naing doesn't know that we are doing drug smuggling.
He has known that. We have done it. But I regret it. I had to do as instructed. In fact, we don't want to do it.