Narcotics Suppression Bureau police arrested six suspects and impounded about 230 million baht worth of assets in a major drug suppression operation in nine provinces.
Pol Gen Chinapat Sarasin, deputy national police chief and director of the narcotics suppression centre, said that in the operation, which was carried out in December, police searched 40 locations in Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Chon Buri, Amnat Charoen, Khon Kaen, Surat Thani, Phuket and Trang provinces with court warrants for the arrest of nine suspected members of a drug network.
Six suspects were arrested. Four were caught Bangkok - Mr Suwat, Ms Mayuree, Mr Thanachote and Mr Non. A fifth, Mr Prempawaris, was arrested in Pathum Thani's Lam Luk Ka district and the sixth, Mr Jatuporn, in Kanchanaburi's Muang district. Their fuill names were not released.
Mr Suwat was alleged to be a leading member of the drug ring.
Police also impounded the following assets, believed to have been acquired with proceeds from drug trading, for examination:
• Sixteen houses - 11 in Bangkok, two in Pathum Thani, one in Nonthaburi, one in Chon Buri and one in Surat Thani, worth about 115 million baht in total;
• Title deeds for nine blocks of land - four in Amnat Charoen, two in Ubon Ratchathani, one in Kamphaeng Phet, one in Khon Kaen and one in Phuket, worth about 94 million baht in total;
• Seven cars - a Nissan 350z, two Isuzu Dmax, two Honda Civic, a Honda CRV and a Toyota Camry, worth about 8.5 million baht;
• Eight gold bars, 360-baht weight and worth about 11 million baht, were seized from Mr Prempawaris' house in Pathum Thani;
• 21-baht weight gold of ornaments, worth about 630,000 baht;
• 1.3 million baht cash;
• 1.3 million baht in bank accounts; and
• Other assets included 11 brandname bags, 21 watches and three gold-plated amulets, worth about 2 million baht.
Pol Gen Chinapat said the operation was a follow-up on a previous operation from late 2021 into 2022 when about one million methamphetamine pills were seized in Don Muang area of Bangkok. In that operation, about 75-million-baht worth of assets were impounded and a number of suspects arrested.
An arrest warrant was subsequently issued for Chatchai, alias Ah Fu, a suspected to be the leader of the drug network.