Doubts have been cast over the country's largest ever ketamine bust on Nov 12, after test results revealed that part of the 11.5-tonne haul — supposedly worth 27.8 billion baht — was in fact the food additive, sodium triphosphate.
The Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) revealed on Sunday that preliminary laboratory tests found that at least 60 out of 466 sacks seized by authorities from a warehouse in Chachoengsao contained the food additive, which is used to make seafood appear firmer.
That said, the ONCB insisted that the lab results are in line with the information they received from Taiwanese authorities. Prior to the raid, authorities in Taiwan said they seized 300 kilogrammes of ketamine, which were hidden among 16 tonnes of calcium carbonate which were shipped from the same Thai warehouse.
The revelation that the drug haul may not all be ketamine as previously reported has sparked widespread scepticism over the handling of the case.
Atchariya Ruangrattanapong, chairman of the Crime Victims Assistance Club, yesterday filed a complaint with the police's Anti-Corruption Division (ACD) against Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin and ONCB secretary-general Wichai Chaimongkol, for allegedly giving false information to the public about the seizure.
Mr Atchariya said by doing so, Mr Somsak and Mr Wichai had committed malfeasance in violation of Section 157 of the Criminal Code.
After the seizure, he said, sacks of what was believed to be ketamine were transported from the warehouse in Chachoengsao to be stored at the ONCB Region 1 headquarters in Pathum Thani's Lat Lum Kaeo district.
However, after testing, the substance turned out to be trisodium phosphate, he said.
The episode has damaged the Justice Ministry's and the ONCB's credibility, Mr Atchariya said.
Mr Atchariya said that while looking into the incident he learned that in August, a man called "Apichart", of ethnic Hmong origin, brought sacks of an unspecified substance to be stored at the Chachoengsao warehouse. On Sept 3, some of the sacks were shipped to Taiwan via Klong Toey and Laem Chabang ports. On Sept 26, Taiwanese officials seized the sacks and asked Thai authorities to investigate.
"Officers then searched the warehouse, seized the sacks and went ahead with a press conference on the seizure without issuing an arrest warrant for Mr Apichart," he said.
Furthermore, Mr Atchariya noted some irregularities in the way the haul were secured, saying the Justice Minister's seal and signature — meant to prevent any unauthorised tampering of the drugs — were missing.
Mr Somsak said yesterday he has ordered a legal team to verify Mr Atchariya's information, saying that he is unlikely to have the authority to tamper or remove the seized items.