The "Golden Triangle" area remains China's central drug origin.

The Golden Triangle has been one of the most extensive opium-producing areas of the world since the 1950s. Most of the world's heroin came from the Golden Triangle until the early 21st century, when opium production in Afghanistan increased. Myanmar was the world's second-largest source of opium after Afghanistan up to 2022, producing some 25% of the world's opium, forming part of the Golden Triangle.