SAKON NAKHON - Almost a tonne of compressed marijuana worth about 30 million baht was uncovered during a search of a truck operator's home and business in Muang district on Thursday night.
The raid followed the owner's arrest in the South on drug trafficking charges.
A combined force of narcotics suppression and local police, supported by soldiers, searched the compound of Jira Samransakul, 65, on Khumuang Road, for illegal goods and to seize his assets.
The owner of Jira Khonsong Co was arrested in Surat Thani after Weerayut Namuangrak was detained in Narathiwat's Tak Bai district on Wednesday. Police stopped his six-wheel truck for a search and found 402,000 methamphetamine pills hidden in it.
Mr Weerayut, 30, told police the drugs belonged to Mr Jira, who had driven ahead of him in a car. Police subsequently apprehended Mr Jira in Surat Thani the same day.
Mr Jira’s wife Jinda Samransakul, 66, was at home when the search team arrived on Thursday evening.
A total of 14 vehicles - cars, pickup trucks and a tarpaulin-covered 10-wheel truck - were parked inside the compound.
As the vehicles were being moved out of the compound to a military camp about 8.30pm, searchers became aware the truck was carrying a heavy, covered load. They pulled back the tarpaulin and found 48 cardboard boxes, each containing 20 bricks of compressed marijuana weighing 1kg each - 960kg in total.
The drugs had a street value of about 30 million baht, according to police.
Mrs Jinda was taken to Muang police station for questioning. Authorities planned to also search three warehouses owned by Mr Jira.
Police and soldiers examine 48 cardboard boxes foundon the back of a 10-wheel truck, and find they contain 960kg of compressed marijuana worth about 30 million baht, during a search of the home and business compound of an arrested drug suspect in Sakon Nakhon. (Photo by Pratuan Kajonvuthinu