Ya ba is a methamphetamine that used to be legal in Thailand, and was used by truck drivers to stay awake; it was then made illegal in 1970 by the Thai government. Today it is used as a club drug, and is especially heavy in South East Asia. Though FDA officials in California are starting to deal with an influx of this drug; in a state that is already known for its meth users. Unfortunately, tweekers aren't limited to California, but the Thai Health Ministry reports the countries meth addicts at 3 million.
The drug, which is now mainly produced in Burma by the United Wa State Army, a group of tribes people allied with the junta there; is now being smuggled in to be sold in California, and Mexico. Recently, there have been ten arrests in Sacramento associated with Ya Ba smuggling; the men tried to mail ya ba to themselves from Laos. Other cases include a shipment of it in furniture, CD's, hollowed chopsticks, and dead insects.
While ya ba isn't very popular in America it has already gained a reputation in Europe and Australia. The label ya ba is used as a blanket term over many Asian methamphetamines, and it commonly comes in a powder form, which makes smuggling it easier; also it allows the user to either snort it, or heat it and inhale the fumes.
So what is ya ba? It's a mix of methamphetamine and caffeine that has an hallucinogenic (not unlike acid) effect on most people, and has the ability to keep users awake for days; though, one of the side effects is the sensation of bugs crawling under your skin. Also, ya ba is known to be fatal in some cases, and also causes rapid heartbeat, depression, dehydration, and paranoia.
So next time you go to a rave or dance club, and you want to buy E, make sure that it isn't ya ba in disguise.