What areas do the Golden Triangle, the Silver Triangle and the Golden Crescent refer to respectively?

"Golden Triangle" refers to a triangle located in the border areas of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos in Southeast Asia. Because this area is rich in opium and other drugs, it is the main drug producing area in the world, making the "Golden Triangle" famous in the world. The "Golden Triangle" covers Shan, Kachin, Chiang Rai, Langnanta, phongsaly province, Udomsay in northern Chiang Mai and Luang Prabang in western China, with more than 3,000 villages and towns. The total area is 6.5438+0.94 million square kilometers.

Because most of the "Golden Triangle" areas are located in mountainous areas above 1000 meters above sea level, the climate is hot, the rainfall is abundant and the soil is fertile, which is very suitable for the growth of poppies. In addition, the dense jungle, rugged roads and traffic jams here are beyond the reach of the three governments, which provides unique conditions for poppy cultivation in politics, economy, geography and climate.

Qingsheng County, located on the Thai side of the "Golden Triangle", was a famous drug source in the past. In 1960s, it became one of the four major drug producing areas because of its rich opium, and became a golden zone for poppy cultivation, refining, trafficking and smuggling. For a long time, there are many anti-government armed forces and other drug armed forces here, so it is also called "adventurer's paradise". Since the implementation of the alternative planting policy, the local poppy cultivation has fallen sharply. In order to help local farmers find jobs, the Thai authorities have also vigorously promoted the development of tourism, and now it has become one of the most popular tourist attractions for foreign tourists.

Although successive governments of the three countries have done anti-drug work, they have failed to effectively stop the development of poppy cultivation in this area. /kloc-from the end of 0/9 to the beginning of the 20th century, Britain, the United States, France and other countries successively went to this area to teach cultivation, refining and selling techniques, and bought opium. In 1950s, the first opium production climax was formed here, followed by the "golden age" in 1960s, and the output rose from dozens of tons to about 200 tons. By the early 1980s, the output had reached about 700 tons, reaching 6544. 1989 doubled, and the output reached 2400 tons. At 199 1, it has exceeded the 3000-ton mark.

In addition, there are many heroin processing plants in the "Golden Triangle" area, most of which are located in deep mountains and dense forests, and a large number of technicians operate advanced machinery and equipment to work day and night. Because the opium in the "Golden Triangle" area is of high quality, and most of it is processed into refined heroin, "sea heroin" has become a special term for high-quality heroin and is sold all over the world.

In the "Golden Triangle" area of Thailand, there are Miao, Yao and Gelao people who have been good at growing poppies for generations. Poppy cultivation is the main source of their economic income and a shortcut to get rich. As a result, more and more people are engaged in poppy cultivation, and drug production is also increasing.

Myanmar is the country with the largest poppy cultivation area and the largest output in the "Golden Triangle" region. The people living here are mainly ethnic minorities in Myanmar, who have been growing poppies for generations. In order to resist the government and protect their opium cultivation, local residents armed themselves. Among these armed forces, the largest one is Kunsa (Khun Sa) Group, which is located on the former Myanmar-Thailand border. They have a strong and well-trained armed force of nearly 3000 people. This unit is dressed in military uniforms, well-equipped and experienced in combat.

From the end of11970 s to the beginning of11980 s, some poppy plantations were destroyed as the Burmese and Thai troops stepped up their attacks on Kunsa Group. At the same time, the United Nations Anti-drug Fund allocated special funds to implement the policy of replacing food and coffee with poppy cultivation in the "Golden Triangle" area. In a period of time, it has achieved results, and the output of opium poppy has fallen sharply, making the "Golden Crescent" in Central Asia once replace the Golden Triangle and become the largest opium production base in the world. However, since 1986, poppy production in the "Golden Triangle" has rapidly resumed development, with a sharp increase in output, which greatly exceeded the historical record and once again became the world's number one opium production base.

Heroin trafficked through the "Golden Triangle" region accounts for 60% ~ 70% of the world total every year, and the annual output of heroin in this region can meet the global heroin consumption demand for two years. 1996 65438+ 10, the armed forces led by Kunsa surrendered to the government. However, the drug production in this area has not stopped, and it is still the second largest opium producing area in the world after the "Golden Crescent".

Poppy is not native to the Golden Triangle. The drug problem in the Golden Triangle is closely related to the constant changes in politics and international relations in this region. It is the influence of internal and external political forces that leads to the continuous strengthening and development of opium economy and eventually becomes one of the most important drug empires in the world. The drug problem in the Golden Triangle area is getting more and more serious. From the development of history, region, drug quantity and drug quality, the drug development in the Golden Triangle can be simply divided into several stages: the colonial era (marked by the end of the Dien Bien Phu campaign in 1954), the remnant era of the Kuomintang (as long as 1950) and the Vietnam War era (spanning 65438+1966) Khun Sa era (around 10+1980) and post-Khun Sa era (since Khun Sa surrendered): from the perspective of changes in opium-producing areas, they are: Laos era, Thailand-Myanmar border era and Myanmar-North border era; In terms of quantity, it is a leap-forward increase in drug planting area and opium production; From the quality point of view, it is the continuous development of drug types, which has experienced the transformation from the traditional "opium kingdom" to "heroin kingdom" and "ice kingdom".

The so-called "silver triangle" refers to the Andes and Amazon where Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil are concentrated in Latin America. This area, with a total area of over 200,000 square kilometers, is famous for its rich cocaine, marijuana and other drugs, so it has been called the "Silver Triangle" since 1970s.

Peru is the world's largest producer of cocaine, with an area of over 80,000 hectares under coca cultivation and an annual output of about 60,000 tons. Cocaine refined from coca leaves is Peru's largest export agricultural product, earning $654.38 billion a year. Bolivia's annual output of coca leaves is about 50,000 tons, ranking second in the world. According to official statistics of Bolivia, among the country's 6 million people, there are about 500,000 farmers engaged in coca leaf cultivation and processing, and no less than 654.38 million people engaged in coca leaf trafficking and trade. The annual income from exporting coca leaves is generally around $654.38 billion. 1986 During the coca leaf harvest, the country made a profit of $3 billion by planting, processing and selling cocaine, which was four times higher than the country's export income that year.

Colombia is the third largest producer of cocaine, and the annual output of coca leaves is about10.2 million tons, ranking third in the world. Ecuador is the fourth largest producer of cocaine, with an annual output of about 900 tons of coca leaves, ranking fourth in the world. Generally speaking, this area produces 654.38+200,000 tons of coca leaves every year, making it the main base for producing, processing and selling cocaine in the world.

Colombia is also the largest cannabis producer in the world, with an annual output of 7500-9000 tons, ranking first in the world. At the same time, Colombia is also a coca leaf production base. Cannabis produced here and cocaine extracted from coca leaves are mainly smuggled and trafficked to the United States. According to estimates by the United States Drug Enforcement Organization, Colombia sells 89,000 tons of marijuana and more than 50 tons of cocaine to the United States every year. Therefore, Colombia is the largest drug supplier in the United States. Colombia's cannabis and cocaine production is the second largest export crop after coffee. In addition, Colombia also produces a drug called "Brandan Plus". This medicine is an alkaloid extracted from the leaves of savanna and thorn apple. It is a white powder, but unlike other alkaloids, it is not a stimulant, but a sedative with strong anesthetic effect.

Mexico is the second largest producer of cannabis. According to relevant data, from 65438 to 0984, Mexico produced 5850 tons of marijuana, ranking second in the world after Colombia. In addition, Mexico also cultivated 465,438+000 hectares of opium, with an output of about 20 tons. Marijuana produced in Mexico and heroin extracted from opium are mainly smuggled and sold to the United States. Jamaica is the third largest producer of cannabis.

Although Jamaica is a small island country, its annual output of cannabis is as high as 3,000 tons, ranking third in the world after Colombia and Mexico. The country supplies 2000 tons of marijuana to the United States every year. The United States is the fourth largest cannabis producing area, with an annual output of 1650 tons, accounting for about 1 1% of American consumption. The main growers are California and Hawaii. Together, the above four producing areas have an annual output of about10.9 million tons, which is an important cannabis production and sales base in the world.