Cops seize huge B1.5bn meth haul
published : 23 Aug 2018 at 11:07
writer: Gregory Morrissey
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Reuters
Police have seized more than 14 million methamphetamine pills worth 1.48 billion baht that were bound for neighbouring Malaysia and beyond, authorities said on Wednesday, in one of their biggest ever drug busts.
Police said the orange pills of methamphetamine, known as ya ba or "crazy drug," were seized in Ayutthaya province on Saturday. Three locals were arrested in connection with the seizure, police said. The drugs came from Shan State in northeast Myanmar, in an area under the control of an ethnic Wa militia force.
The Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) displayed the haul, neatly packed into large container bags, at their headquarters. NSB chief Pol Lt Gen Sommai Kongvisaisuk said the drugs were destined for Malaysia and then on to markets around the world.
"It gets distributed to Europe, America, Australia, Japan, Singapore and Korea and will make a lot of money," he said. The seizure is the latest big methamphetamine bust in the region. Record seizures of the stimulant have recently been made in Malaysia and Indonesia.
The production and trafficking of methamphetamine in Southeast Asia has reached "alarming levels," the UN Office on Drugs and Crime warned in a May report. Much of the methamphetamine produced in the region comes from lawless parts of Myanmar, in particular Shan State, which has long been known for the production of opium and its refined form, heroin. In recent years, the drug syndicates have branched out into the production of methamphetamine.
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Vocabulary
- bust (noun): an arrest; an unexpected visit made by the police in order to arrest people for doing something illegal - การจับกุม
- destined: on the way to - มุ่งหน้าไปทาง
- ethnic: of a group of people with the same culture or traditions - กลุ่มชาติพันธุ์
- haul: an usually large amount of something that has been stolen or is illegal or something that has been taken from criminals by the police - ของที่ถูกขโมยไปหรือถูกยึดไป
- heroin (noun): a powerful illegal drug made from morphine, that some people take for pleasure and can become addicted to - เฮโรอีน, ยาเสพติดร้ายแรงชนิดหนึ่ง
- methamphetamine: a stimulant drug that increases alertness and energy, but which is dangerous when taken in large amounts or over a long period of time - ยาบ้า
- opium (noun): a powerful illegal drug made from poppy flowers and used in the past to reduce pain - ฝิ่น
- refine: to improve something by making small changes to it - ทำให้ดีขึ้น
- seizure: the act of taking control of something, especially by using power or force - การบุกเข้ายึด
- stimulant: a substance that makes a part of your body work faster or better; a substance that makes you feel more awake when you eat it or drink it - สารกระตุ้น
- syndicate: a group of people or companies who work together and help each other in order to achieve a particular aim - สมาคม, องค์การ, สหการ , การรวมกลุ่มเป็นสมาคม
