4-1-2024 (BANGKOK) The Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) is actively working in collaboration with authorities in Laos to facilitate the extradition of a Malaysian drug kingpin and a crucial member of a transnational drug syndicate to Thailand.
Pol Lt Gen Panurat Lakboon, Assistant National Police Chief and Acting ONCB Secretary-General, unveiled the cooperative efforts between the Ministry of Public Security and the police chief in Laos to bring 48 drug suspects hiding in the country to justice. Among the suspects is Ong Gim Wah, a 39-year-old Malaysian, apprehended in Laos on December 29 during a joint operation.
Ong, who had a 1-million-baht bounty on his head, is believed to have played a pivotal role in procuring drugs and coordinating with drug syndicates in the Golden Triangle region since 2006. His arrest is anticipated to significantly impact the drug trade involving crystal meth, heroin, and cocaine, potentially reducing it by as much as 70%. Additionally, Thai police have seized over 4.4 tonnes of meth pills.
Pol Lt Gen Panurat disclosed details of a drug suppression campaign conducted between October and December last year, aligning with the government’s “Quick Win” policies aimed at addressing drug issues within a year. During this period, narcotics suppression police made arrests in 268 cases, seizing three tonnes of crystal meth and over 200 million meth pills, marking an 80% increase from the previous year.
The campaign successfully thwarted a major drug network attempting to smuggle over 50 million meth pills across the border. Authorities also apprehended small-scale traffickers in over 23,000 cases, a 22.7% increase from the previous year, and confiscated drug-related assets worth more than 709 million baht.
Internal Security Operations Command taskforce units 24 and 35, overseeing Thailand’s northeastern and northern borders, played a crucial role in arresting 372 drug smugglers, recovering more than 13 million meth pills and 0.8kg of heroin.
In parallel, efforts were made to address drug addiction, with 19,638 drug addicts nationwide undergoing rehabilitation, representing 21.51% of the targeted population. An additional 22,129 drug users participated in behaviour development programmes.
Under the government’s Quick Win policy, psychiatric treatment is being provided to 1,052 out of 4,414 patients in 85 risk-prone districts across 30 provinces, who suffer from mental health issues due to illicit drugs. The Public Health Ministry aims to expand psychiatric treatment centres for drug patients nationwide, further reinforcing the commitment to combating drug-related challenges.
