Police on Sunday seized a stash of illicit narcotics worth 1.6 billion kyats ($1.17 million) and arrested two suspects at a checkpoint in Lel Pyin village, part of Kachin State’s Hpakant Township, with a follow-up search of the accused possessors’ property the next day yielding an additional 700 million kyats in drugs.

The 2.3 billion kyats haul was confiscated by authorities over those two days this week, according to police officer Naing Soe of Mohnyin Township’s drug law enforcement unit No. 3.

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Acting on testimonials from the two arrested suspects, personnel from the drug law enforcement unit No. 3 searched the property and vehicle of the men, Wai Min and Kyaw Aung, on Monday, when they discovered the added cache of illicit drugs at an estimated street value of 700 million kyats.

The police station in the village of Lone Khin, Hpakant Township, has filed charges against Wai Min and Kyaw Aung.

Hpakant is home to some of the world’s finest jade, and the prospect of striking it rich there has brought thousands of itinerate miners to the region — and a major drugs problem.