Four suspects wanted in connection with a major drug trafficking and money laundering network were arrested in raids carried out in seven provinces yesterday.
The suspects were detained in raids carried out on 14 locations in Bangkok, Chiang Rai, Tak, Maha Sarakham, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chon Buri and Nonthaburi.
They were named as Worawat Wongsapha, Piamsak Bunyachalothon, Sunan Sutinakat and Siriwan Bunyachalothon. They were arrested in Prachuap Khiri Khan, Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai, Chiang Saen district of Chiang Rai and Mae Sot district of Tak, police said.
At Mr Worawat's home in Nonthaburi, officers from the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) and the Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) seized two cars, about 50 firearms, ammunition, and luxury wristwatches worth more than 14 million baht, police said.
About 14 speedboats, as well as gold and cash believed to belong to the suspect, were also found in a raid in Prachuap Khiri Khan, police said.
The total value of assets seized from him, which also included items in Chon Buri, was more than 130 million baht.
According to a source, both cars found at Mr Worawat's home had a parliamentary pass sticker and a name tag issued by the Secretariat of the Senate to an expert appointed to work for a senator, who is a former military official.
Police are working to establish a link between the suspect and the person on the name tag.
Pol Lt Gen Samran Nualma, the MPB commissioner, said the raids were carried out as part of an expanded investigation following the arrest of two drug suspects linked to a drug ring busted in 2019.
About 1 million methamphetamine tablets and 86 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine were seized in that bust. Police went looking for other members of this gang and identified seven more suspects.
Two were already in prison for other crimes, four were caught in the raids, while the other one is still at large.