4m meth pills seized in four cases

4m meth pills seized in four cases

Methamphetamine in both pills and crystal form are on display at a police briefing following the arrests of 14 suspects in four cases at the Narcotics Suppression Bureau in Bangkok on Saturday. (Photo by Apichit Jinakul)
Methamphetamine in both pills and crystal form are on display at a police briefing following the arrests of 14 suspects in four cases at the Narcotics Suppression Bureau in Bangkok on Saturday. (Photo by Apichit Jinakul)

Narcotics police have seized almost 3.45 million methamphetamine pills and 28kg of crystal methamphetamine worth 789 million baht in four cases that could span to bring down the ringleaders of major drug networks, according to Thai media.

At a briefing on Saturday led by deputy police chief Pol Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen, police said they had arrested 14 suspects and seized 3.45 million ya ba pills, 28.45kg of ya ice, or crystal methamphetamine, in the four cases. They hoped the investigation would eventually lead to the crackdowns of the the remaining 28 major drug networks, according to Thai media.

In the first case, police recently arrested Bancha Puangchim, a suspect under a drug-possession arrest warrant issued by the Suphan Buri court, at a petrol station in Chon Buri's Muang district.

They seized 995,000 meth pills, two cars, one motorcycle, two mobile phones and other items as evidence.

The suspect, a cock-fighting pit owner who fled the warrant to Chon Buri, sold drugs to customers at spots linked to the motorway for easy escape using a luxury sports car.

His wife is in the Min Buri jail on a drug charge, police said, claiming the ringleader was a man from Myanmar's Shan State.

In the second case, Seree Wattanapakornkij, was caught with 1.93 ya ba pills and 26kg of ya ice at a house in Sai Noi district, Nonthaburi province.

They also seized from him as evidence four cars, six motorcycles, three mobile phones and others items from him as evidence.

Police said they acted based on information from a drug gang arrested in the central province earlier.

"The house, which offered service of a medium contacting with spirits, was used to keep drugs before being distributed to communities in Bangkok," police said.

The third case involved Suchart Klakasikit and five others, who were caught at the Mae Prik drug checkpoint in Lampang province in the North.

Police confiscated 321,800 ya ba pills, 2kg of ice, a pickup truck and six mobile phones, among other items.

Police intelligence indicated the group was smuggling the drugs for sale in the three southernmost provinces using a pickup truck with the bed modified to store the illicit substances.

The last case involved Seree Isalam and Watcharapol Chongrak, who were arrested at the entrance of a hotel in Khuan Khanun district, Phattalung province.

Police took 200,000 ya ba pills and later arrested four others with cars, a .38-inch gun, 14 bullets and six mobile phones.

The group was allegedly a major gang of drug dealers in the southern province.

"In this case, we arrested 12 people in several areas. All of them were with the two major gangs in Phattalung.

"Ya ba pills were to be sent for sale in the South while ya ice would be shipped to neighbouring countries," Pol Gen Pongsapat said.

Pol Lt Gen Rewat Klingkesorn, commander of the police's Narcotics Suppression Bureau, said the arrests in these cases were made based on intelligence and raids in several provinces spanning four regions.

"Some of the suspects had as much as 500 million in their bank accounts. We will expand the investigation to get to the ringleaders," he said.

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