Nine held after major drug busts in Chiang Rai

Nine held after major drug busts in Chiang Rai

Haul includes 2m speed pills, 67kg of 'ice' and 7kg of heroin

Police display packages of speed pills, crystal methamphetamine and heroin seized from nine suspects in two cases in Chiang Rai during a briefing on Friday. (Photo: Panumet Tanraksa)
Police display packages of speed pills, crystal methamphetamine and heroin seized from nine suspects in two cases in Chiang Rai during a briefing on Friday. (Photo: Panumet Tanraksa)

Police have arrested nine members of a major drug trafficking gang in two cases and seized a total of 2 million speed pills, 67 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine and 7kg of heroin in Chiang Rai

In the first case, five suspects — three men and two women — were caught with 310,000 speed pills, 58kg of crysal meth and 20 bars of heroin, weighing about 7kg, said Pol Lt Gen Piya Tawichai, chief of Provincial Police Region 5.

The five were identified as Rewat Rungkrachang, 37, of Kanchanaburi; Theerawat Luangkaew, of Chiang Mai; Rungthiwa Chuwongprathan, 34, of Chiang Mai; Nareerat Kakaew, of Lamphun; and Songkran Detruethaipakdee, 22, of Chiang Mai.

They were caught in Mae Suai district on Wednesday after five fertiliser sacks containing the drugs were found hidden in one of the two vehicles they were using.

The suspects confessed to having smuggled the drugs from the northern border area in Chiang Saen district to deliver to a drug agent in Nakhon Pathom province, Pol Lt Gen Piya said on Friday.

A police chart shows the five drug suspects in the first case. (Photo: Pamumet Tanraksa)

In the second case, four suspects were caught separately in Muang and Doi Luang districts of Chiang Rai on Wednesday and Thursday.

Two of them — Arthit Channim, 37, of Bangkok and Chayaphorn Ampornbut, 29, of Kanchanaburi — were caught in tambon San Sai of Muang district on Wednesday after police found 10 fertiliser sacks containing 9kg of crystal meth and 1.69 million speed pills in their car.

The suspects later implicated two other men, which led to the arrest of Banchong Ngaokaew and Theerawut Phutthawong at a house in Doi Luang on Thursday.

The four suspects were caught based on information given by the five suspects in the first case that there was another car used for smuggling drugs.

Pol Lt Gen Piya said police would extend the investigation and expected to arrest more people involved in the smuggling operation and confiscate their assets.

A police chart shows the four drug suspects in the second case. (Photo: Panumet Tanraksa)

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