4-1-2024 (BANGKOK) In a series of significant operations, Thai narcotics suppression police have made impressive strides in combating drug trafficking. During the month of December, they successfully seized approximately 16 million speed pills and 27 kilograms of heroin, along with assets valued at around 105 million baht. The operations resulted in the arrest of six suspects involved in these illicit activities.
The disclosure was made by Pol Gen Kitrat Phanphet, a deputy national police chief, during a media briefing held at the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB). The seized drugs were prominently displayed during the briefing, providing a visual testament to the police’s efforts.
One of the cases involved the seizure of about 500,000 speed pills in Muang district of Chiang Rai. Undercover NSB officers, posing as couriers, had arranged to pick up the drugs from smugglers in a village and deliver them to a dealer in the Central Plains. However, upon realizing the sting operation, the smugglers fled and abandoned the drugs.
In another operation, police apprehended two suspects in Sikhiu district of Nakhon Ratchasima. They intercepted a truck at a checkpoint and discovered 8.6 million speed pills and 27 kilograms of heroin hidden in the vehicle’s bed. The drugs, originating from Nakhon Phanom in the Northeast, were intended for Saraburi.
A separate incident involved the arrest of two couriers at a checkpoint in Nakhon Sawan. The officers stopped their pickup truck and found over 6 million speed pills concealed inside. Prior surveillance had revealed that the vehicle was transporting drugs from a northern border area to Nakhon Sawan. The suspects confessed to being hired to smuggle the drugs from Mae Ai district in Chiang Mai.
In the fourth case, police apprehended two members of a transnational drug trafficking gang in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Authorities seized a staggering 850 kilograms of ketamine from their pickup truck. The network is reportedly led by a man known as Anan, who has been linked to other cross-border drug smuggling cases. One notable case involved the seizure of 960 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine in Ratchaburi. The drugs were destined for the South.
