NAKHON PHANOM: Two men have been arrested with 42,000 methamphetamine pills and 100 grammes of crystal methamphetamine, or ice, in their possession and their assets seized for examination.
Chatree Chanvirachai, the deputy governor, identified the two as Vichai Niwongsa, 29, and Veerapong Ngaonoi, 45, both from Tha Uthen district.
He said the authorities had followed their activities for a long time before obtaining solid evidence, leading to their arrests with 42,000 meth pills and 100g of ice on Saturday night. The authorities also seized from them several gold necklaces, 500,000 baht cash and title deeds for 29 rai of land suspected to have been acquired through the drug trade for examination.
Mr Chatree said Mr Veerapong was a Mekong river fisherman who had acted as a go-between for a drug trading ring in Laos to smuggle drugs on a long-tail boat across the border to Mr Vichai, a major drug agent in Nakhon Phanom. Mr Veerachai was paid about 50,000 baht for each delivery made.
The authorities were tracing the two's financial routes which could lead to the arrests of more suspects.