Police have arrested five drug suspects and seized assets worth some 209 million baht, Office of the Narcotics Control Board secretary-general Sirinya Sithichai said.
The five suspects were detained and the assets seized in a raid on a home at Siwalee Housing Estate in Pathum Thani's Thanyaburi district yesterday, police said.
Mr Sirinya identified the suspects as Nathawat Lertariyathanakul, Waraporn Lertariyathanakul, Somporn Srisangkhom, Veerapol Sae Mu and Somchai Laosin.
In the raid, police seized 17 bank account books with deposits totalling 4 million baht; 18 cashier cheques for 1.5 million baht; 13 items of property worth 100 million baht; 14 cars worth about 15 million baht; 16 trucks and backhoes worth about 50 million baht; and cash and a quantity of gold ornaments which belonged to Mr Nathawat. No value was put on the last items.
No drugs were found but the suspects had been linked by police to several drug distribution networks, Mr Sirinya said.
Prayat Boonsri, Provincial Police Region 5 deputy commissioner, said the raid followed the arrest of nine suspects in January, who were caught with 398,000 methamphetamine pills and 3kg of crystal meth in Chiang Mai.
Mr Nathawat is accused of leading a drug ring with over 30 dealers operating in the North and Central regions, including Bangkok and nearby provinces, Mr Sirinya said.
"This ring has been linked to ethnic Akha, Muser and Chinese Haw people.
"Their members ran construction businesses and apartments as a front for the drug trade," Pol Maj Gen Prayat said.