World

‘It gets hold of you’: Crystal meth from Myanmar floods Australia streets

Published

1 year ago

October 9, 2024

‘It gets hold of you’: Crystal meth from Myanmar floods Australia streets

Melbourne, Australia – Myanmar’s remote jungle hills may be a world away from sun-soaked Australia, but the two countries share an insidious bond – crystalline methamphetamine.

Otherwise known as “ice” or “crystal meth”, crystalline methamphetamine is a highly addictive substance which has permeated Australia’s suburbs.

The Australian Federal Police estimates about 70 percent of the drug comes from northeastern Myanmar, near the Golden Triangle, where the country borders Thailand and Laos, and is transported through Southeast Asia before arriving in Australia by boat.

A recent National Drug Strategy survey showed that one out of every 100 Australians over the age of 14 had used ice in the last 12 months, mostly in the country’s major cities.

The same survey also indicated that about 7.5 percent of Australia’s population had tried methamphetamine during their lifetime.

Charlie Samson, who lives in Australia’s second-biggest city, Melbourne, first smoked ice when he was just 18. He soon found himself addicted.

“We’d go out for drinks, and someone knew a bloke who had some ice. And so we all tried it,” he told Al Jazeera.

“The next week, we did the same thing, and then it snowballed from there. Fast forward three or four months, I was secretly buying it on a Monday, because I’d been up all weekend.”

Charlie’s mother Vanessa says that at the peak of his addiction, her son has lost so much weight ‘his ribs were sticking out’ [Ali MC/Al Jazeera]

At the peak of his addiction, he was spending 2,500 Australian dollars ($1,690) a week on the drug. Despite his habit, Samson managed to maintain his well-paid construction job with the vast majority of his salary going on the drug.

“Before I rolled out of bed, I used to have to smoke about a gramme just to be able to function,” he said.

‘Smelled like tea’

Australia’s official health campaigns often declare ice users to be “psychotic” and “violent”, underscoring the prevailing stereotype of the homeless “meth addict”.

However, Samson told Al Jazeera that ice addiction could affect anyone and that people could remain apparently functioning members of society even when addicted.

He said he had seen lawyers and businesspeople all fall prey to the drug.

“I’ve met a few people who I thought, ‘He’s got a family, he’s paying a mortgage. And now he’s got nothing.’ Because at some point, it gets a hold of you, even if it’s not financially, it’ll get you mentally,” he said.

Samson, who is now 29, managed to hold down his job for six years before the addiction completely overran his life, and it was only after a short stint in prison that he managed to get clean.

While Samson told Al Jazeera he never knew the source of the ice he bought, he did recall batches that “smelled like tea”, indicative of methamphetamine originating from Myanmar, which is often smuggled in tea boxes.

The production of methamphetamine and heroin has increased in Myanmar since the 2021 military coup plunged the country into crisis and civil war, with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) saying that seizures of methamphetamine hit a record 190 tonnes in 2023 across East and Southeast Asia.

The UNODC says that Myanmar has also emerged as the world’s leading source of opium.

Most of the drug production is centred in the northern hills of Shan and Wa states, regions which have long been notorious for opium production and trade.

But the civil war has seen a spike in the drug trade, including heroin, methamphetamine and what is known as yaba – small pills containing a mix of methamphetamine and caffeine – with the proceeds used to finance the conflict.

The Australian Federal Police, which maintains ongoing operations in the region as part of efforts to stem the flow of drugs to Australia, told Al Jazeera that “transnational crime is not only a result of, but a driver of the current conflict, as it is financing various actors in the conflict and, therefore, reducing the incentive to pursue a durable peace.”

“Like heroin historically, methamphetamine production remains a significant source of income to transnational crime groups in Myanmar,” a spokesperson said. “Ongoing offshore seizures of drugs from Myanmar show this region remains a major source to the lucrative Australian market.”

A haul of methamphetamine that was destined for Australia. Four armed and masked police officers are standing behind the haul — In May 2023, Thai police intercepted a tonne of crystal methamphetamine that they believed was bound for Australia [Thanachote Thanawikran/AP Photo]

Between 2012 and 2022, almost 10 tonnes of ‘tea packet’ methamphetamine was seized by the Australian Federal Police. In 2022 alone, this included more than 2.1 tonnes with a street value of more than 1 billion Australian dollars ($671.6 million).

‘Tea packet’ methamphetamine refers to methamphetamine manufactured in Southeast Asia and commonly packaged in branded tea packets for concealment and marketing purposes; different colours indicate purity, with green being the highest.

While the likely origin is Myanmar, the police told Al Jazeera it was “difficult to put a percentage on the amount of methamphetamine originating from Myanmar, as it is transhipped through multiple countries, concealing the true source of the illicit drugs”.

Increasingly potent

Samson has remained clean since leaving prison in June 2023.

But many other Australians are unable to break ice addiction and struggle even to take the first step of seeking help.

Turning Point is a Melbourne-based clinic whose services include assistance for those seeking help for methamphetamine use, including counselling and detox.

Clinical Director Shalini Arunogiri echoes Samson’s observations that methamphetamine addiction affects a variety of Australians.

“We see people who may fit that homeless stereotype,” she told Al Jazeera. “But we absolutely do see people who are working full time. We see parents. We see people who are in high functioning jobs who might be using daily.”

She added that the stigma of methamphetamine addiction is often a barrier to those seeking help.

“I think there is that real stereotype that has been portrayed in media, advertising and in public health campaigns. Those public health campaigns aren’t effective. In fact, they marginalise people who use that drug even more.”

Shalini Arunogiri. She has long dark hair and is wearing a patterned top and black jacket. She's seated behind a desk — Shalini Arunogiri, clinical director at Turning Point, says many are afraid to seek help because of the stigma surrounding drugs and addiction [Ali MC/Al Jazeera]

Arunogiri says the purity of methamphetamine coming from high-volume trade regions such as Myanmar has increased over the last two decades.

“The drug that we have available in Australia for the last decade is quite potent – we’ve got very high potency crystalline methamphetamine. Here, it’s virtually impossible to get non-crystalline methamphetamine.”

She told Al Jazeera that the effects of the drug can be seen across a range of physical, mental and criminological indicators.

“One in three people who use at least every week are likely to experience psychotic symptoms – seeing things, hearing things. We know that a significant proportion go on to develop things like schizophrenia and long-term psychological illnesses. Using methamphetamine also often comes with criminal aspects as well.”

The Australian Institute of Health and Wellbeing recently reported that at least 46 percent of those entering prison had used methamphetamine in the previous 12 months.

John Coyne, Head of Strategic Policing and Law Enforcement at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told Al Jazeera that methamphetamine use in Australia “fuels a cycle of criminal activity that often leads to incarceration”.

He says this includes theft and robbery to fund addiction, as well as violent behaviour, which can be triggered by the drug.

“Additionally, the illegal nature of meth means that possession and trafficking come with harsh penalties, further contributing to incarceration rates,” he said.

Coyne says the ongoing conflict in Myanmar, along with endemic corruption and human rights abuses by the military regime, creates serious challenges for Australian police in tackling the export of drugs from the region.

“While disrupting illicit drug routes is essential for regional security, engaging with a regime known for its oppressive tactics raises ethical and legal concerns,” he said.

According to the United Nations, the Myanmar military has killed more than 5,000 civilians since the coup and has reinstated the death penalty for political activity, executing pro-democracy activists.

That the regime is also allegedly directly involved in the drug trade presents a myriad of operational and ethical challenges for Australian law enforcement.

“The Australian Federal Police must navigate these complexities carefully, ensuring that intelligence-sharing is strictly focused on disrupting drug networks without inadvertently supporting a corrupt regime,” Coyne told Al Jazeera.

“This delicate balance is crucial to uphold international norms and prevent complicity in the junta’s ongoing human rights violations.”

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World

2% of Russian global oil supply affected following Ukrainian attack

Published

2 minutes ago

November 15, 2025

Press Room

2% of Russian global oil supply affected following Ukrainian attack

By&nbspEuonews

Published on
15/11/2025 – 9:37 GMT+1

Russia temporarily suspends roughly 2% of its global oil supply following a Ukrainian strike on one of its major facilities in its southwestern port city of Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai on Friday, according to multiple Russian officials and Telegram channels.

The attack, which struck the Sheskharis oil terminal and sparked fires, according to officials, serves as the endpoint for pipelines. It sparked a large fire at the site, now extinguished, causing it to suspend exports of 2.2 million barrels per day, according to Reuters, citing industry sources.

Ukrainian strikes have repeatedly targeted Novorossiysk as it acts as a key hub for Russia’s Black Sea logistics and energy infrastructure.

Russian oil refineries and petrochemical facilities are considered to be legitimate military targets by Kyiv, as they help fund Russia’s war on Ukraine.

The Krasnodar Krai operational headquarters reported that the oil terminal had been hit, damaging several coastal facilities.

A civilian vessel located in the port was reported to have been struck in the mass attack, leaving three crew members injured, local media outlet RIA Novosti said.

Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation, commented on the incident on social media. “This is the oil terminal in Novorossiysk after the strike,” he wrote on Telegram. “Meanwhile, Russia is hitting residential buildings and energy infrastructure.”

Meanwhile, earlier in the week Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media X that “For the first time since the beginning of the war, a noticeable decline has been recorded this year in Russia’s oil production and refining,” adding, “The oil and gas revenues of the Russian budget are decreasing, and by the end of this year, Russia will have lost at least US$37 billion in budget oil and gas income.”

The latest strike on Novorossiysk came as Russia launched waves of drones and missiles at Kyiv in a massive overnight attack that killed at least six people, left 14 people injured, and set several apartment buildings on fire.

World

YouTube TV and Disney Reach Deal Ending Two-Week Blackout of ESPN, ABC

Published

15 hours ago

November 14, 2025

Press Room

YouTube TV and Disney Reach Deal Ending Two-Week Blackout of ESPN, ABC

ESPN, ABC and other Disney TV networks are coming back to YouTube TV.

Google and Disney finally ended their standoff, announcing a multiyear agreement Friday on pricing and terms for a renewed carriage deal for YouTube TV. Disney’s nets went dark on the internet TV service just before midnight ET on Thursday, Oct. 30, after the two sides remained far apart on a deal before the expiration of the previous contract.

Under the new agreement, ESPN’s full lineup of sports — including content from ESPN Unlimited — will be made available on YouTube TV to base-plan subscribers at no additional cost by the end of 2026. In addition, access to a selection of live and on-demand programming from ESPN Unlimited will be available inside YouTube TV.

The deal also lets YouTube include the Disney+ and Hulu bundle as part of “select YouTube offerings.” According to Disney, “select networks” will be included in various genre-specific packages that YouTube TV expects to launch in the future.

“This new agreement reflects our continued commitment to delivering exceptional entertainment and evolving with how audiences choose to watch,’’ Disney Entertainment co-chairmen Alan Bergman and Dana Walden and ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a joint statement. “It recognizes the tremendous value of Disney’s programming and provides YouTube TV subscribers with more flexibility and choice. We are pleased that our networks have been restored in time for fans to enjoy the many great programming options this weekend, including college football.”

In a statement, a YouTube spokesperson said Friday, “We’re happy to share that we’ve reached an agreement with Disney that preserves the value of our service for our subscribers and future flexibility in our offers. Subscribers should see channels including ABC, ESPN and FX returning to their service over the course of the day, as well as any recordings that were previously in their Library. We apologize for the disruption and appreciate our subscribers’ patience as we negotiated on their behalf. ”

The deal supersedes their prior distribution agreement, inked in December 2021 after a two-day blackout.

On Sunday (Nov. 9) YouTube began issuing one-time $20 credits to YouTube TV customers for the loss of Disney’s programming, in the hopes it would help stave off user cancelations.

Many YouTube TV subscribers dropped the service in frustration. According to a survey fielded last week, 24% of YouTube TV users said they had canceled or intended to cancel their accounts over the Disney blackout. A YouTube rep said that “while subscriber churn is always regrettable, it’s been manageable and does not align with the findings of this survey.” Disney took a hit, too, losing more than $4 million per day during the blackout, according to an estimate by Morgan Stanley analysts.

Google had said Disney was asking for an unprecedented fee increase for the full suite of ESPN channels, ABC local stations, FX, Disney Channel, Freeform, Nat Geo and more — while Disney claimed the tech giant was “refusing to pay fair rates for our channels.” According to Google, Disney was trying to “reset” the market pricing for its programming (so it could charge similarly higher rates in upcoming renewals with other pay-TV distributors) and that Disney was insisting YouTube TV take the Mouse House’s full lineup of networks. The negotiating teams were led by Disney Platform Distribution EVP Sean Breen and YouTube chief business officer Mary Ellen Coe.

The removal of Disney’s networks from YouTube TV came a day before a busy Nov. 1 Saturday slate for college football as major marquee teams face pivotal contests, many of them aired on ESPN and ABC. In light of the blackout, ESPN made its “College GameDay” football pregame show available free to watch via a livestream on X. YouTube TV customers also missed two airings of “Monday Night Football” on ABC and ESPN. (YouTube pointed out to users they could catch all of ESPN’s programming on the ESPN Unlimited subscription service.)

Along with Disney’s live channels, YouTube TV customers’ DVR recordings of the media conglomerate’s programming were removed, as is standard in such disputes. With the deal renewal, YouTube TV subscribers will regain access to recordings that were previously in their library, according to YouTube.

On Thursday, Disney CEO Bob Iger told analysts that the company had been “working tirelessly to close this deal” but said, “It’s also imperative that we make sure that we agree to a deal that reflects the value that we deliver, which both YouTube, by the way, and Alphabet, have told us, is greater than the value of any other provider.”

Disney Entertainment’s Walden and Bergman and ESPN’s Pitaro had previously addressed the impasse in several memos to staffers. “YouTube TV and its owner, Google, are not interested in achieving a fair deal with us,” the execs wrote in an Oct. 31 email. “Instead, they want to use their power and extraordinary resources to eliminate competition and devalue the very content that helped them build their service.”

Meanwhile, ahead of this year’s Election Night (Nov. 4), Disney asked Google to restore ABC on YouTube TV for one day to serve the “public interest.” Google declined — and instead suggested that Disney allow YouTube TV to make ABC and ESPN available while the two sides continued talks because those are “the channels that people want.” Disney didn’t go for the idea.

The Disney-Google clash became public Oct. 23, when Disney began alerting viewers that its networks could be removed from YouTube TV.

Disney has faced other tough negotiations with distributors amid the transition to ESPN Unlimited — the standalone streaming service launched in August that includes everything on the sports programmer’s lineup — and its continued investment in Disney+ and Hulu.

In 2023, Disney’s networks had a 10-day blackout on Charter Communications cable systems in a similar fight over price. To settle the Charter deal, Disney allowed Charter’s high-tier TV subscribers to access Disney+ and the ESPN+ streaming app. In 2024, ESPN and other Disney nets went dark on DirecTV for nearly two weeks before they reached a new deal. In October, Disney and Comcast quietly reached a carriage renewal deal.

Google has encountered no small amount of friction in deal-renewal talks this year for YouTube TV. Other programmers that have fought with the internet company include Paramount Global (now Paramount Skydance), Fox Corp. and NBCUniversal — each of which reached a new deal without a blackout. At the end of September, YouTube TV dropped Univision, with Google alleging the price increases sought by parent company TelevisaUnivision were drastically out of line with viewership on the platform.

YouTube TV is the biggest internet-TV service in the U.S., estimated to have more than 10 million subscribers. Next is Disney, which last week closed a deal to merge its Hulu + Live TV business with Fubo; together, those have almost 6 million subs in North America. Google had asserted Disney’s hardball tactics over a YouTube TV deal was “benefiting their own live TV products, including Hulu + Live TV and Fubo.”

World

Fitness influencer dies in suspicious fall from Rio de Janeiro apartment building

Published

16 hours ago

November 14, 2025

Press Room

Fitness influencer dies in suspicious fall from Rio de Janeiro apartment building

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A Brazilian bodybuilder who had more than 200,000 followers on Instagram died this week after falling from her high-rise apartment in Rio de Janeiro, according to reports.

Diana Areas, 39, was found dead outside the Unique Towers condominium building Thursday, according to the New York Post and People magazine, citing local news outlets.

Before her fall, Areas had been admitted to a hospital after authorities were called to her home and found her with cuts on her body.

The 39-year-old reportedly left the hospital without being discharged.

CRUISE SHIP DEATH MYSTERY: CHEERLEADER’S FINAL POSTS HINT AT HEARTBREAK AND RESILIENCE AS DAD BREAKS SILENCE

A Brazilian bodybuilder who had more than 200,000 followers on Instagram died this week after falling from her high-rise apartment in Rio de Janeiro, according to reports. (Diana Areas/Instagram)

Authorities haven’t given any more details on the circumstances surrounding her death.

Her followers took to her Instagram after learning the news to express their grief.

Diana Areas, 39, was found dead outside the Unique Towers condominium building on Thursday. (Diana Areas/Instagram)

“My Godddd !!! Speechless !!!” one person wrote in an English translation. “What a difficult time !!! Unbelievable !!!”

PRINCE WILLIAM AND KATE MIDDLETON’S COLLEGE CLASSMATE DEAD AFTER 100-FOOT ROOFTOP FALL

Another wrote, “Today our profession loses a great nutritionist. A woman who left a mark on the lives of many through the care, knowledge and affection with which she did her work. May God comfort the family and all who lived with her. Your dedication will continue to inspire those who pursue the same purpose.”

Authorities haven’t given any more details on the circumstances surrounding her death. (Diana Areas/Instagram)

A third said, “Lord…. such sad news … so beautiful, young woman, may God receive her with open arms.”

In late September, Areas shared several photos from a recent trip with a significant other, writing, “We live and go through a lot together, as a couple. And you know what’s better? We choose each other every day! Our love doesn’t need a showcase, but these special photos couldn’t just stay in the gallery.”

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Just a week ago, Areas was advertising something called the REV 90 and Summer Challenge.

“Don’t miss out on the chance to transform your body and your health — limited spots available!” she posted at the time.