Authorities have made arrests in the Kaisone Phomvihane district and seized kratom tea as well as equipment used to produce it.
Deputy Head of Police Headquarters in Kaisone Phomvihane City, Lieutenant Colonel Nuanta Sichanhthongthip, said that kratom tea, leaves, and other ingredients were seized from rental houses in the area.
Around 33 bottles of kratom tea, 703 bottles of cough syrup, kratom leaves, and 15 bottles of sugar were seized and destroyed at the scene.
Officers apprehended the kratom tea producers and counseled them against consuming or producing drugs that are illegal in the country.
In November this year, the arrest of two young people in Huaphanh Province sparked a social media backlash demanding the legalization of kratom.
Police officers from the Inspection and Drugs Control Office in Vientiane Capital also recently destroyed a Kratom plantation.
The Lao Law on Drugs prohibits the cultivation of opium, cannabis, coca, and other plants that could be used for narcotics production.
The Lao government has declared drug prevention and control a “national agenda,” which calls for decisive action and the participation of multiple sectors to combat the current narcotics threat.
