Army-police raid seizes huge meth haul

Army-police raid seizes huge meth haul

Police lay out a display of 1.8 million methamphetamine pills and (left) 39kg of crystal methamphetamine, or ya ice after their raid on an overgrown area in Sai Mai district in northern Bangkok. (Photo by Apichit Jinakul)
Police lay out a display of 1.8 million methamphetamine pills and (left) 39kg of crystal methamphetamine, or ya ice after their raid on an overgrown area in Sai Mai district in northern Bangkok. (Photo by Apichit Jinakul)

An army-police raid in northern Bangkok Monday seized a massive haul of 1.8 million methamphetamine tablets and 39 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine, or ya ice.

The drugs were discovered after a combined force of more than 100 officers from the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, Sai Mai police and soldiers spent two hours combing an overgrown area around a boxing training camp and a cockfighting ring in Soi Sai Mai 10 in northern Bangkok's Sai Mai district.

The drugs were found in black plastic bags scattered over a 30-rai plot, police said.

A man identified as Wanrop Narongsak, 27, was also detained, police said.

The operation was a follow-up to a drug bust last week in which about five million methamphetamine pills in nine separate cases were confiscated.

Police confirmed all the methamphetamine pills seized had been produced in a Wa ethnic group-controlled area on the northern Thai-Myanmar border.

Authorities received a tip-off that the overgrown area had been used to hide the drugs belonging to a major narcotics trafficking network based in the capital, police said.

The location serves as a transit point for distributing the drugs to Sai Mai, Don Muang, Nong Chok and Lat Krabang districts of Bangkok, according to police.

Police also received a tip-off that the drug network was preparing to smuggle drugs into the area Sunday night.

Mr Wanrop allegedly told police he acted as a lookout as drugs were smuggled in and out of the area.

Police show packets of dried marijuana weighing about 50kg seized from a Klong Toey-based gang. (Photo by Somchai Poomlard)

Police also said he told them the drug gang had burned and destroyed more than two million methamphetamine pills at 2am on Monday after they discovered police were on their trail. A burning smell and embers were found in the area.

Authorities said they were tracking down the drug gang ringleader and following the gang's money trail.

During the search, police also detained an air force officer whose urine tested positive for drugs.

Meanwhile, police led by Pol Maj Gen Surachet Hakpal, chief of the Patrol and Special Operation Division held a news briefing Monday to announce the arrest of six members of a suspected marijuana smuggling gang.

The gang was based in Bangkok's Klong Toey area and was a major trafficker of marijuana in the Ekamai area, police said. They were arrested on an access road to Patumkongka School near Bangkok Planetarium on Sukhumvit Road at 6am on Saturday.

A total of 50 packets of dried marijuana weighing about 50kg were seized from them as evidence. A Honda Civic, three motorcycles and a number of mobile phones were confiscated.

Pol Maj Gen Surachet said the gang had bought marijuana from other drug networks via a middleman who had contact with prison inmates.

The six suspects have been charged with possession of illegal drugs with the intent to sell, he said, adding that police had expanded an investigation which led to the arrest of another suspect identified as Prasong Yamprasert, 21, in Soi Kehakaewnimit in Pathum Thani's Klong Luang district.

A total of 100 packets of marijuana were seized from him, police said.

Video by Somchai Poomlard

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