Two Burmese soldiers have been caught with 180,000 methamphetamine pills in their jeep, which was stopped and searched at a checkpoint near Maungdaw in northwestern Arakan State on 1 October.

The pair, whose names were not disclosed but identified as being privates in the Burmese army, were stationed with the 808 Tatmadaw unit in Buthidaung, which has seen an influx of Burmese troops in recent months as the military attempts to crack down on Rohingya militants.

Police Officer Hla Htay of Maungdaw Myoma police station said, “We have filed drug charges against the two soldiers and handed them over to their military command to face action under military regulations.”

He added that the drugs in question were valued by police at almost 4 billion kyat (US$3 million).

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Since violence flared between militants and Burmese security forces in recent weeks, tens of thousands of self-identifying Rohingyas have left Maungdaw, which has been described as a “ghost town” by at least one diplomat visiting the town recently.