A member of a major drug network was arrested and 10 million methamphetamine pills seized when police raided rented premises in a housing estate in Pathum Thani’s Thayaburi province.
A second suspect fled, evading arrest.
The arrest of Bancha Khotphuthorn, alias “Muek Sai Mai”, 37, and seizure of the drugs was announced during a media briefing at Pratunam Chulalongkorn police station in Pathum Thani on Wednesday.
It was also attended by Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Pol Lt Gen Jirasak Kaewsaeng-ek, commissioner of the Provincial Police Region 1.
Pol Maj Gen Chayanon Meesati, deputy chief of Provincial Police Region 1, said there were two suspects in the case. The raided house was in tambon Prachathibat of Thanyaburi and was searched on Tuesday night.
The two suspects were packaging drugs for delivery to contacts in Nakhon Nayok province when police arrived. One of them escaped.
The meth pills were found inside the house and in a car, Pol Maj Gen Chayanont said.
Mr Bancha allegedly admitted to having driven a scout car, travelling ahead of the vehicle used for smuggling drugs. Upon encountering a checkpoint, he would immediately alert the driver of the vehicle with the drugs. He was paid 5,000 baht each time and had made three trips.
Interior Minister Anutin said he was there to show his support for the arresting police. The same team from Region 1 had made arrests and seized drugs in Bang Pahan district of Ayutthaya only a few days previously. The two operations had resulted in the seizure of more than 20 million meth pills worth tens of millions of baht, Mr Anutin said.
Bancha Khotphuthorn, 37, points to bags of packaged methamphetamine after his arrest at a rented house in Pathum Thani province on Tuesday night. (Photo: DOPA Channel by the Interior Ministry's Department of Provincial Administration)