Anti-narcotics police have confiscated a large amount of drugs including 500 kilogrammes of crystal meth and 100kg of heroin, and arrested 17 people in four separate operations.
The arrests were announced yesterday at a press conference attended by assistant police chief Pol Lt Gen Wisanu Prasartthongosot and the Narcotics Suppression Bureau commissioner, Pol Lt Gen Chinnapat Sarasin.
In the first cased called "Black Sasimi", police rounded up 11 Thai and foreign nationals in 19 locations and seized 5,200 speed pills, 701 grammes of crystal meth and kratom leaves.
Pol Lt Gen Chinnapat said the arrests followed weeks of investigation after a tip-off from Japanese police about a drug gang that included several Africans. The gang allegedly procured drugs for African nationals in Japan and used Thai women to move the drugs.
According to Pol Lt Gen Chinnapat, a Nigerian man identified as John Ume and a Thai man, Chatchawal Rojanaphat, were the gang's alleged ringleaders, and were arrested in the operation.
In the second case, police arrested two men, identified as Wan Khosaeng and Flight Sergeant 2nd Class Suwat Phantaeng, at a checkpoint in Chumphon and seized 100kg of heroin in their vehicle.
In following-up their arrests, police also confiscated 500kg of crystal meth and 2kg of ketamine worth 250 million baht from a house in Samut Prakan. Some 42 million baht's worth of assets in Chiang Rai were also frozen.
Pol Lt Gen Chinnapat said the suspects were part of a major drug ring in Rayong that smuggled drugs into the country via Nong Khai province for distribution in Bangkok and surrounding provinces.
In the third case, police arrested Bundit Ouithong and Kriangkrai Bansaen at a checkpoint in Ayutthaya's Wang Noi district. Found in their possession were 200kg of compressed marijuana.
The suspects were allegedly on their way from Ubon Ratchathani to deliver the drugs to customers in Chon Buri.
The last drug bust was in Sing Buri involving police looking into a tip-off about a drug exchange near a restaurant in Muang district.