Four arrested as police sting uncovers two million meth pills in northeastern Thailand
Four suspects were arrested as a police sting uncovered two million meth pills in northeastern Thailand.
The Patrol and Special Operations Division arrested four alleged drug dealers in Pathum Thani, just outside Bangkok, on August 16.
The operation followed an earlier meth bust in Bangkok's Ramkhamhaeng area in July, which led to a drug smuggling network moving drugs from northeastern Thailand for sale in the Greater Bangkok region.
An undercover officer then arranged to buy 200,000 methamphetamine pills from the gang.
The suspects allegedly agreed to receive payment at a mall before handing over the drugs at a nearby 7-Eleven.
Police set up ambushes at both locations as part of the sting.
The first suspect, Watthana, was arrested while driving a black Toyota Fortuner allegedly loaded with two drug-laden suitcases.
Officers then detained three others, Arisa, 53, Tawee, 48, and Witsanu, 35, who were waiting at the Big C shopping mall.
Cops later searched Witsanu's home in the same province and allegedly found another 1.826 million methamphetamine pills.
The operation resulted in a total of 2.036 million pills being seized.
Police also confiscated 14 firearm parts, 13 magazines, four gun barrels, two rounds of ammunition, three cars, five mobile phones, two land title deeds, three bank passbooks and one motorcycle, with the total value of the seized assets exceeding 63 million baht.
Police Major General Worawit Yanchinda, commander of the Patrol and Special Operations Division, said all suspects allegedly admitted to the charges.
He said: ‘They were charged with jointly distributing Category 1 narcotics by possessing them for distribution without permission; possessing Category 1 narcotics for commercial purposes without permission; and unauthorised possession of firearms and ammunition.
‘They were handed over to the inquiry officer of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau for further legal action.'
Thailand has become a notorious hub for drug production and trafficking. In the north of the country, the ‘Golden Triangle' area shares borders with Laos and Myanmar, and has produced large amounts of opium since the 1950s but focus in recent years has shifted to the more profitable methamphetamine.
Officials believe most of the meth is produced in the Shan State of Myanmar before being distributed through neighbouring countries where prices are higher before ending up in the most expensive markets of Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore.
However, cracking down on drug production has been complicated by the influx of crime gangs from China and the Burmese civil war, which has seen the army take over the country - along with control of lucrative drugs chains.
