Asia’s robust economy and strong demand for drugs drove global production and trafficking of methamphetamine to record levels last year, with Japan one of the most lucrative markets, the United Nations said Tuesday.

Asia is the world’s largest market for stimulants and seizures of methamphetamine pills and crystal meth have tripled to at least 36 tons over the last five years, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime said in a report released in Tokyo.

The trends reflect Asia’s growing economic power and demand for new synthetic drugs. China and India, which have large chemical industries, are the region’s major production hubs of methamphetamine, the addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system. The report said organized crime groups, including those in Japan, help traffic meth from Mexico, the Middle East and the rest of Asia.

The regional integration of economies, trade and transportation help spread the drug faster, said Jeremy Douglas, an UNODC regional representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, told a news conference.

Japan is seen as one of the most lucrative markets. The amount of amphetamines seized here last year tripled from a year earlier, mostly due to large-volume smuggling from abroad.

Of about 12,000 drug-related arrests in 2013, about half involved yakuza groups, police statistics show.

“Japan’s methamphetamine problem can be attributed to extremely high street price. We are concerned that this could motivate criminal organizations to smuggle more drugs into Japan,” said Yoshiya Takesako, a National Police Agency director of international drugs and firearms investigation.

Street prices are $700 per gram here on average, nearly twice that in the U.S., Takesako said, citing the U.N. report.

Singer-songwriter Aska was arrested Saturday on suspicion of possessing a small amount of “kakuseizai” (stimulants) in April. The potent drug’s main ingredient is usually amphetamine or methamphetamine.