Myanmar film director Mike Tee was arrested by Yangon police on the night of Aug. 16 after they found 26 yaba pills in his car. He has been charged under Section 16(c) of Myanmar’s drug law and faces between five and 10 years in prison if convicted.
At around 11pm on Aug. 16, and anti-drug police unit stopped the director while he was driving in Tamwe Township. The search was prompted by a tip-off. Police seized the pills as well as the suspect’s two phones, driving license, and items thought to be drug paraphernalia, according to the police report.
Police will continue investigating the possibility of a connection between the director’s arrest and any existing drug rings.
Myanmar’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law stipulates that possession of under three grams of yaba tablets will not be considered possession with intent to sell, and someone convicted for possession under three grams should be sentenced to addiction treatment at a government-approved medical facility. The average yaba tablet weighs between 70 and 100 milligrams, so the total weight of Mike Tee’s alleged stash would be under the three-gram threshold. It is not clear why he is facing the possibility of prison time.
Mike Tee is the third Myanmar celebrity to be arrested for an alleged drug violation this month. On Aug. 9, singer Shwe Htike was arrested, along with seven other people, after police found more than 12,000 yaba pills in her Yankin Township apartment. They face a possible prison sentence of between 10 years and life.
On Aug. 15, singer Yattha and three accomplices were arrested at a guesthouse in Mandalay when police found 1,655 yaba tablets in their possession.
Drug arrests have escalated in Myanmar since the President’s Office launched a hotline that allows members of the public to report information that may help police crack down on drug production and sales. However, arrests of drug users have persisted.
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