SONGKHLA: Five members of a suspected transnational drug trafficking gang have been arrested in Hat Yai, with 200,000 speed pills and 81 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine destined for Malaysia seized.
The arrests took place on Wednesday following a raid on a house in Hat Yai and were announced at a media briefing held by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) on Saturday.
A combined team of ONCB officers, police and soldiers searched the house and two vehicles used by the suspects –- an Isuzu MU-X pickup truck and a Honda Jazz sedan, both carrying Narathiwat licence plates. They found 200,000 speed pills and 81kg of crystal methamphetamine hidden in the pickup, said Sirinya Sitdhichai, the ONCB chief.
Arrested were Suganang Kaema, 33; Sa-ard Seng, 31; Abdulfader Arwaetae, 35; Ilham Botor, 26; and Arsuwan Sam, 22.
They confessed they had been hired for 80,000 ringgit (about 600,000 baht) to smuggle the drugs across the Thai-Malaysian border. The drugs were to be delivered to a Malaysian agent, said Mr Sirinya.
During the interrogation, the suspects said they had earlier made two deliveries of drugs from Rattaphum district in Songkhla to Kedah state in Malaysia.
The ONCB chief said the arrests followed information that a large quantity of illicit drugs was to be smuggled into Thailand via a northern border route in early October.
The ONCB, Army Region 3 and Provincial Police Region 5 monitored developments and learned that the shipment in question was scheduled to be moved to the South in early November.
The ONCB then coordinated with Army Region 4 and Provincial Police Region 9 to track the gang to the house in Hat Yai, where they were caught.
(Photo taken from ONCB.TH Facebook page)