Bangkok Post

The four agencies are the Corrections Department, Department of Special Investigation (DSI), the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), and Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo).

Mr Thirachai said a meeting of the four agencies had assigned the Corrections Department to coordinate the joint operation.

DSI chief Tharit Pengdit said his deputy Pol Col Yanpol Yangyuen would be responsible for using electronic devices to tap telephone conversations of drug suspects.  The Corrections Department will supply the DSI with information on individuals and groups of people as well as areas targetted for eavesdropping, he said.

Corrections Department chief Pol Col Suchart Wongananchai said his department would obtain information on the drug trade in prisons and pass it to the DSI for evaluation.

Information involving financial transactions would be passed to Amlo.

Any Corrections Department officials found to be involved in the drug trade would be investigated by the PACC for further action.

The Corrections Department alone could not tackle the problem, so help from other agencies was needed, Pol Col Suchart said.

Pol Col Suchart said in the past four months he had sacked 18 warders for involvement in the drug trade and  seized more than 1,500 mobile phones in prisons.

PACC secretary-general Pol Col Dussadee Arayawuthi  said his agency had proposed that all prison officials be subject to lie detector tests and also have their urine tested for drugs.

The DSI should also check records of telephones use by jailers whose behaviour was suspicious, for example spending beyond their income and gambling, he said.