The Criminal Court handed down life imprisonment to drug ring leader Xaysana Keopimpha on Tuesday on charges of smuggling 1.2 methamphetamine pills into Thailand.
He was initially sentenced to death but punishment was reduced to life in jail because he cooperated with the court.
Xaysana was taken to the court to hear the judgment from the Central Correctional Institution for Drug Addicts, where he has been detained since he was arrested at Suvarnabhumi airport on Jan 19, 2017 after arriving on a flight from Phuket.
Police had captured some members of his network in Oct 1, 2016 after seizing 1.2 million ya ba pills smuggled into Thailand through Nong Khai a day earlier. The drugs were being trafficked to southern Thailand for smuggling to Malaysia when seized.
The subsequent expanded investigation led to the capture of Xaysana.
Xaysana, 42, was convicted of smuggling the 1.2 million meth pills into the country on Sept 30, 2016. He was also charged with possession.
The court's judgement was based on the most serious charge of drug smuggling.