Police have seized five houses worth about 30 million baht belonging to one of the nine suspects implicated in a drug-trafficking gang that includes a Bangkok traffic policeman.
The five houses belong to Suchada "Pen" Thuaypa, the wife of Prawin Thuaypa, a former sergeant major at the Pracha Chuen station. He is a friend of Pol Snr Sgt Maj Manas Seupho, a traffic police officer from the same station, who turned himself in on Wednesday and is the only suspect in custody so far.
Investigators said Mrs Suchada had her husband smuggle illicit drugs from the North and when he was kidcked off the police force in 2005, she recruited his friend. she and Prawin are among eight suspects still at large.
Two of the confiscated houses are located in the Ananda Rangsit Khlong 3 housing estate in Khlong Luang district of Pathum Thani province. Mrs Suchada was said to have bought both houses with cash.
Police also seized a Honda car from one of the houses, said deputy national police chief Pongsapat Pongcharoen, who led a search and seizure operation on Friday afternoon.
The three other residences are in the Pruksa 13 housing estate in the same district.
Mrs Suchada may have used drug money to buy the houses, said Pol Gen Pongsapat, who is also the chief of the Office of the narcotics Control Board (ONCB).
He said authorities knew that Mrs Suchada was now hiding in the Bangkok area and encouraged her to surrender to police immediately.
He also urged operators of housing estates to carefully examine any customer offering to pay cash for a house or inform ONCB officials.
Many drug gang members have bought houses and use them as drug storage and transfer points to avoid arrest, he added.
Beware of people who pay cash for houses, says Pol Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen. (Photo by Post Today)