40 tonnes of drugs to go up in smoke this week

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and narcotics suppression authorities on Monday inspected more than 40 tonnes of confiscated illegal drugs worth over 34.6 billion baht before they are incinerated at a designated facility this week.

The illicit narcotics, which were kept in FDA storage, will be destroyed on Tuesday and Wednesday at a facility in Samut Prakan's Bang Pu industrial estate.

The total is made of 23,365kg of methamphetamine pills, 14,482kg of crystal methamphetamine or ice, 738kg of heroin, 29kg of opium and 4kg of ecstasy. The remaining drugs were other psychoactive substances.

Under the procedures, an inspection is required before the narcotics are destroyed to ensure transparency. The inspection was made by a committee consisting of representatives from the FDA, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, the Royal Thai Police, Muang Nonthaburi police station, the Department of Medical Sciences, the Office of Police Forensic Science and the army.

Meanwhile, Songkhla-based border patrol police on Monday seized 120,000 speed pills and almost 3kg of crystal methamphetamine worth about 4 million baht on the street, but failed to catch the suspected ringleader, Sakriya Salimud, in a sting operation in Phatthalung.

Mr Sakriya had agreed to sell the drugs for 1.8 million baht with the handover scheduled on Monday in front of a temple in tambon Sating Mo, Songkhla's Singha Nakhon.

However, the suspect abruptly changed the location and told police that he had left the consignment next to an electricity pole near the meeting venue. When police arrived, they found a sack full of speed pills and almost 3kg of ya ice but no sign of Mr Sakriya.