SURAT THANI - Two suspected members of a major drug trafficking network have been arrested with more than 900,000 speed pills worth more than 200 million baht in Phunphin district.
Seized from them were 450 bundles containing 902,000 mehamphetamine tablets, two cars with Bangkok licence plates and four mobile phones. The drugs had a face value of 225 million baht, said police.
Thinnakorn Kulaya, 46, of Nakhon Phanom and Kritsada Rodcharoenphan, 38, of Bangkok, were arrested separately and taken for a media briefing at the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) on Tuesday.
Pol Maj Gen Thanai Apichartsenee, a commander at the NSB, said the arrests followed information that a major drug network gang linked to kingpin Usman Salaemaeng had smuggled the pills from a neighbouring country via Nakhon Phanom to deliver to a customer in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district on Sunday.
Officers were then dispatched to road checkpoints and stopped a suspected car for searching at Tha Chee checkpoint in Surat Thani. The search of the car, driven by Mr Kritsada, found nothing illegal.
However, authorities checked his mobile phone and found the man had made unusual phone contacts with Mr Thinnakorn. Mr Kritsada led the police to a resort in Phunphin district, where Mr Thinnakorn stayed and a large number of the drugs were seized.
Mr Thinnakorn confessed to the drug trafficking charges. He told police that the seized pills were destined for the three southernmost provinces. The two were held in police custody for legal action.