A drug courier has been arrested and 152 kilogrammes of heroin seized from his car near Talat Thai market in Pathum Thani.
Officers from the Metropolitan Police Division arrested Sonthirak Rodnoi, 38, of Nakhon Sawan province, at a car park behind a commercial bank's Talat Thai branch on Wednesday evening.
Seized from his car were 20 sacks containing 400 bars of heroin, 152 kilogrammes in total, Pol Lt Gen Samran Nuanma, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, told reporters on Friday.
Mr Sonthirak was charged with illegal possession of a Category 1 drug, heroin, with intent to sell.
The arrest followed a tip off that a large quality of heroin was being delivered by vehicle to the car park behind the bank on Wednesday. The arresting team rushed to the spot and found a car there with Nakhon Sawan licence plates. A search found the heroin hidden in the car.
During questioning, Mr Sonthirak allegedly said he was being paid 200,000 baht to transport the heroin from Suphan Buri province to Talat Thai, from where it would be delivered to a customer at Laem Chabang in Chon Buri province. Police said the heroin was intended to be smuggled abroad.
Pol Lt Gen Samran said the suspect had a prior record. He had been arrested and convicted on weapons and drug charges and was released from jail in 2017.