VIENTIANE, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Two men have been arrested and some 90,000 amphetamine-type stimulant pills were seized after an unregistered pickup was stopped at a police roadblock in the Lao province of Oudomxay, local media reported Tuesday.
Two men aged 62 and 33 respectively, were arrested over the haul following a tip-off, state-run media Vientiane Times reported.
A separate incident on the same day in the same province saw another man, 37, arrested when a further 1,000 pills located stashed in the motorbike he was driving.
The province of Oudomxay is located in Laos rugged and mountainous north and is close to the nation's borders with Myanmar and Thailand in the area known to many as the Golden Triangle.
A region once known for the production of poppy-based opiates, it is trans-national amphetamine movements that are increasingly proving a key concern for policy experts across the region as the pace of socioeconomic activity increases.
Known colloquially inside the country (and neighboring Thailand) as "ya-ba", short term effects of amphetamines include increased physical strength, acceleration, stamina and endurance as well as reduced reaction time.
Dangers posed by high doses of amphetamines include rapid muscle breakdown and elevated body temperatures, while prolonged use can lead to mental and physical ailments including damage to the cardio-vascular system, addiction and depression.
Use, possession and transportation of amphetamine-type stimulants is prohibited in Laos domestic law and according to international drug control treaties, with the exception of approved and registered doses for valid medical and therapeutic purposes.
