NAKHON SI THAMMARAT: Police arrested on Thursday six people allegedly with 501 kilogrammes of marijuana worth 20 million baht from Laos, destined for the South.
Pol Maj Gen Teerapol Kuptanont, deputy commissioner of the Provincial Police Region 8, said police arrested Poonsak Kongna, 26, from Mukdahan province, at a resort in Na Bon district as the marijuana was being loaded on his Mitsubishi Pajero vehicle.
The arrest and seizure followed the arrests of five other suspects who are also from Mukdahan, bordering Laos.
Chaiwat Ampoke, 37, Mon Pasook, 54, Supat Pasook, 47, and Duangkamol Susinna, 30, were first arrested at a checkpoint on Asian Highway 41 in Tham Phannara district as informants said their black Toyota pickup truck might be carrying a big lot of narcotics from the Northeast to the South.
The truck had fake licence plates and police found no illegal items in it. However, the four pointed to accomplice Sakda Phumla, 46, who was later arrested at a resort in Phra Saeng district, Surat Thani. Mr Sakda then told police about the marijuana in Mr Poonsak's possession.
Pol Maj Gen Teerapol said the suspects were hired for 180,000 baht to transport the marijuana from Laos to the South and most of them were lookouts.