November
1994
OPERATION
TIGER TRAP
Operation Tiger Trap
was a multi-agency international operation designed to disrupt the trafficking
activities of the world's largest heroin trafficking organization, the
Shan United Army (SUA). Also known as the Mong Tai Army, this group was
located primarily in the areas of Burma adjacent to the northern border
provinces of Thailand, with heroin "sales representatives" living in northern
Thailand. The SUA Warlord Khun Sa claimed that his army, which was financed
primarily by heroin trafficking, was fighting the Burmese for the independence
of the Shan people.
Tiger
Trap was divided into phases that targeted key SUA functions. On November
27, 1994, based on U.S. indictments, teams of Royal Thai Police, Office
of Narcotics Control Board Officers, and Royal Thai Army Special Forces
Soldiers working with DEA special agents arrested those residing in Thailand.
These arrests significantly affected the ability of the SUA to distribute
heroin. The Royal Thai Army then worked with the Thai Border Patrol Police
to close the Burma border to "commercial quantities" of goods entering
the Shan State. This significantly affected the ability of Khun Sa to
supply the SUA, and resulted over time in massive defections. Khun Sa
ultimately surrendered to Burmese authorities.
Eventually, 13 senior
SUA traffickers were arrested, and all were pursued for extradition/expulsion
to the United States. These 13 principal defendants in Operation Tiger
Trap included some of the most persistent and highest-level heroin traffickers
operating out of Thailand. They were all subjects of U.S. indictments
in the Eastern District of New York. Operation Tiger Trap crippled the
SUA by not only disrupting its command and control network, but also by
depleting its financial resources. This successful operation led to a
significant reduction in the amount of Southeast Asian heroin distributed
in the United States.
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