Drug suspects flee, house seized

Drug suspects flee, house seized

Narcotics suppression police search the house of the two drug suspects in Muang district, Samut Prakan, on Monday. (Photo by Sutthiwit Chayutworakan)
Narcotics suppression police search the house of the two drug suspects in Muang district, Samut Prakan, on Monday. (Photo by Sutthiwit Chayutworakan)

SAMUT PRAKAN: Police have seized a 10-million-baht house in Muang district owned by a married couple suspected of being major drug dealers, and will seek their extradition from Myanmar.

Police and soldiers searched the two-storey detached house covering 240 square metres in the Bang Pu Nakhon housing estate on Soi Thepharak 114 on Monday. The house belongs to Pongchai Thiamthad, 30, and Sasimaporn Supanont, 27, who are wanted under arrest warrants for drug offences.

The suspects were not at the house. Officials learned during the search that their brand-new white BMW car was parked near the Thai-Myanmar border in the North. They assumed the couple had fled to Myanmar.

They seized many mobile phone SIM cards and a bank passbook showing transfers totalling around 11 million baht to suspected drug traffickers as evidence.

Pol Lt Gen Sommai Kongwisaisuk, commissioner of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, said the couple were prime drug suspects believed operating at command level and had connections to Myanmar national Myint Thein Aye, earlier arrested for involvement in a 10-billion-baht drug network.

The commissioner said officials did not find a safe or valuables at the searched house and believed the suspects had many other houses to hide their money.

According to Pol Lt Gen Sommai, drug traffickers transferred money electronically to Ms Myint Thein Aye, who forwarded it in turn to major drug suppliers in Myanmar.

Mr Pongchai had transferred more than 100 million baht. Ms Sasimaporn told her relatives that Mr Pongchai ran a gambling den near the border, he said.

Pol Lt Gen Sommai said police would ask Myanmar authorities to send the two suspects back to Thailand.

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