CHON BURI: A huge amount of toluene, a solvent that can also be used as a precursor chemical for narcotic drugs, has been intercepted at Laem Chabang Port in Si Racha district before it could be exported to Myanmar.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin chaired a press conference on Friday at the port to update the media about the drug suppression operation. Other officials present included Pol Lt Gen Samran Nualma, assistant national police chief, and Pol Lt Gen Panurat Lakboon, secretary-general of the Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB).
Mr Srettha said that the government has a clear policy to suppress narcotics as part of its national agenda. He praised agencies, such as the Royal Thai Police, ONCB, the Customs Department, the Department of Industrial Works, and the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, for the seizure of 90 tonnes of toluene, a chemical substance classified as a Category 3 hazardous substance under the Hazardous Substances Act BE 2535 (1992). The prime minister has ordered a full investigation into this case.
Pol Lt Gen Panurat said police and ONCB received a tip-off that the toluene was being smuggled in six shipping containers at the port. The chemical came from Busan, South Korea and was destined for Yangon in Myanmar via Mae Sot in Tak.
The authorities confiscated it at Laem Chabang Port before the land shipment could take place.
From an inspection by officers it was found the importer had never imported this type of substance before. He said toluene is commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industries, including automotive paint, fabric dyeing, and rubber and plastic manufacturing.
However, it can also be used as a precursor chemical for producing illicit drugs.
If the 90 tonnes of toluene had been successfully smuggled for narcotic drug production, it could have been used to produce 4.5 tonnes of crystal meth, 270 million pills of methamphetamine, and 4.5 tonnes of cocaine.
The value of the toluene was about 3.6 million baht, but with this amount, it could generate massive amounts of illicit drugs worth tens of billions of baht, Pol Lt Gen Panurat said.
Police will issue a summons for the bosses of the company that imported the substance, he said.
This action also follows the government's policy to eradicate the drug production cycle comprehensively. Since last year, 859 tonnes of precursor chemicals have been confiscated.
The origins of these shipments are India, Australia, China, and South Korea, with destinations in Myanmar and Laos.