Police arrested 11 suspects and seized 1.5m meth pills, 2.4 tonnes of cannabis, six kilogrammes of ketamine and assets worth altogether 200 million baht in three drug trafficking cases during the long weekend.
The Narcotic Suppression Bureau announced on Tuesday that Pirapat Chaisunthorn, 24, and Jariya Niyompeng, 24, were arrested with 400kg of compressed cannabis hidden in their blue Hyundai van on Nitayo Road of Sawang Daen Din district in Sakon Nakhon.
They said they picked up the illicit cargo in Nakhon Phanom province and were delivering it to buyers in Bangkok.
In another case, Songklod Sriharan, 40, Chaisri Kong-aksorn, 63, and Ratchanok Boontha, 36, were arrested with 1.4 million speed pills in Ban Mae Padoi village of Thoen district of Lampang. They were caught when they showed up to get a parked Isuzu pickup truck with pills hidden under old mattresses and chicken cages.
The truck had earlier failed to stop at a checkpoint in Li district of Lamphun. The three suspects said they were hired by another man to get the vehicle. Police said the pills were from Mae Taeng district of Chiang Mai.
Police impounded two houses and seized land title deeds and a car. They also froze 3.7 million baht in savings accounts pending an investigation.
In the other case, Mongkol Chonthanasilp, 31, Thanabodi Yakasem, 48, Busayaporn Rangwijee, 36, Nirote Mingkwan, 35, Boonprom Laknongbu, 30 and Patracha Taweewan, 38, were arrested with two tonnes of cannabis and six kilogrammes of ketamine on Nong Han- Kumphawapi Road in Nong Han district of Udon Thani.
Police said the suspects were transporting the drugs from Bung Kan province to greater Bangkok. They were travelling on three vehicles. The drugs were found on a Toyota pickup truck accompanied by two other vehicles.
Police seized from the suspects a total of 21 vehicles and the title deed for a plot in Kaeng Khoi district of Saraburi province where a cannabis compressor was found.