Pickup truck load of ganja seized after chase in Khon Kaen

Pickup truck load of ganja seized after chase in Khon Kaen

Pol Col Apichart Phorthichan, chief of highway police sub-division 4, with the compressed marijuana seized after a brief car chase in Nam Phong district of Khon Kaen on Thursday night. (Photo by Chakkrapan Natanri)
Pol Col Apichart Phorthichan, chief of highway police sub-division 4, with the compressed marijuana seized after a brief car chase in Nam Phong district of Khon Kaen on Thursday night. (Photo by Chakkrapan Natanri)

KHON KAEN: A man was arrested after 495 kilogrammes of compressed marijuana were found in his pickup truck following a brief police chase in Nam Phong district.

Highway police stopped his pickup truck at a checkpoint in tambon Muang Wan on Thursday night. Instead of agreeing to a search, the driver sped off. Police gave chase and stopped the vehicle shortly after. 

A quick search found four large plastic bags containing 495 bars of compressed marijuana, each weighing 1kg, on the back of the pickup,  Pol Col Apichart Phorthichan, chief of highway police sub-division 4, told a media briefing on Friday morning. 

The driver Sawaphop Odthon, 32, of Phetchaburi, was detained.

Mr Sapaphop told police he had bought the marijuana from a man identified only as Nueng, of Udon Thani, for 250,000 baht.

He took delivery in Nam Phong district and set off along Mittraparb Road on the way back to Phetchaburi,  but was caught in Nam Phong district.

Mr Sapaphop said he had thought local police would be tired after working all through the royally-sponsored cremation of the revered Luang Phor Koon Parisutho in Khon Kaen, and would not set up road checkpoints, Pol Col Apichart said.

The suspect was charged and held in police custody at Nam Phong police station.

Compressed marijuana weighing 495kg found in the back of a pickup truck in Khon Kaen on Thursday night. (Photo by Chakkrapan Natanri)

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT (12)