Police have sent out a warning about the spread of ecstasy pills in the shape of cartoon characters among teenagers and university students.
The cartoon-themed pills had been smuggled in from the Netherlands where they could be bought for about 60 baht a pill. The price was increased 10-fold in Thailand, to 600 baht a pill, Narcotics Suppression Bureau commissioner Sommai Kongwisaisuk said on Tuesday.
Use of cartoon pills was already widespread among high school and university students, he said.
“Ecstasy stimulates sexual desire after a user takes it. This drug is dangerous and poses a sexual threat. Any parents finding these drugs should immediately alert police,’’ Pol Lt Gen Sommai said.
The NSB chief’s warming followed the recent arrest of 13 suspects in seven smuggling cases with drugs worth over 800 million baht seized.
The drugs - including 447kg of crystal methamphetamine, 304kg of heroin, 526,450 methamphetamine pills and 5,731 ecstacy pills - were seized in separate police operations and put on display at a media briefing at NSB headquarters on Tuesday.
Also seized as evidence were one gun, five cars and 14 mobile phones. The seized drugs and other items were valued at 859 million baht, police said.
One of the cases involved two women and a man, who allegedly smuggled the cartoon-shaped ecstasy pills into the country from the Netherlands.
Ampika Patitang, 25, and Wararat Chanthamas, 25, were apprehended earlier this month at Suvarnabhumi airport, with 5,731 cartoon-shaped ecstasy pills in their possession. The pair implicated Songpon Thamiya, 33. The man was arrested at the airport on Sunday.
Pol Gen Chalermkiart Srivorakhan said police learned the trio had smuggled ecstasy pills into the country from the Netherlands on several previous occasions.