NAKHON PHANOM: Border patrol police on Sunday night seized 160 kilogrammes of compressed marijuana smuggled across the Mekong river to Tha Uthen district.
Pol Lt Col Apisit Rodnoy, commander of Border Patrol Police Company 237, said the marijuana had been gradually brought across the Mekong River from Laos on long-tailed boats under cover of tropical storm Noul.
The marijuana packages were left at several spots on the river bank, collected and stored beside a road near Ban Phu Kratae in tambon Na Kham, ready for onward delivery.
Acting on reports from several agencies, border patrol police went to the area and seized 200 packages of compressed marijuana, weighing 160kg in total, found in four fertiliser sacks.
There was nobody there, and no arrests were made.
The dried marijuana is sold at 3,000-5,000 baht per kilogramme along the border, but the price rises to 15,000-20,000 baht/kg in inner provinces.
Pol Lt Col Apisit said more than a tonne of marijuana had been seized in Nakhon Phanom during the past month.