Multinational drug suppression operations along the Mekong River have proved successful and would be stepped up and expanded, Narcotics Control Board secretary-general Permpong Chavalit said on Thursday.
Mr Permpong said Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya planned to expand the current area of cooperation with China, Myanmar and Laos from the Mekong River to include adjacent land areas from mid-March.
The four countries launched a joint anti-drugs operation on the Mekong River in the form of the Safe Mekong Coordination Centre in January this year, and it was successful, he said.
He said 1,289 suspects were arrested in 1,117 cases and authorities seized 9.4 million methamphetamine pills, about three tonnes of crystal methamphetamine or "ice", 180 kilogrammes of heroin and 59 kilogrammes of opium.
In addition, they seized 20,000 kilogrammes of methylene chloride, 8,150 kilogrammes of caffeine and 293 kilogrammes of pseudoephedrine - precursor chemicals that could be used to make up to 300 million methamphetamine pills, Mr Permpong said.
Before the four-country effort was launched, drug producers and smugglers in the region had moved 30% of their products via the Mekong River, he said. Now, there were no big consignments of illegal drugs being seized along the river.