<p>For a few tense hours last week, Thai Senator Upakit Pachariyangkun was wanted for arrest in connection with an alleged drug trafficking and money laundering ring operating out of a casino in the Golden Triangle.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Pro-junta militias operating in Shan State are now the main players in the drug trade, according to new findings by local Shan analysts.</p> <p>The latest Shan Drug Watch newsletter, issued on 29 Sept, details how the Burmese regime&rsquo;s War on Drugs has fallen way behind schedule, with 46 of Shan State&rsquo;s 55 townships still growing opium. This is attributed to the Burma Army&rsquo;s reliance on taxation of opium, and its policy to allow numerous proxy local militia to deal in drugs, including methamphetamines, in exchange for policing against resistance activity.</p>