Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Thursday launched the “Seal Stop Safe” anti-drug campaign to tackle trafficking in 51 border districts of 14 provinces, with results expected within six months.
The operation aligns with the government policy on drug prevention and suppression, Ms Paetongtarn said at the launch event in the Santi Maitri building at Government House.
“Our government strongly emphasises drug policy,” she said. “Drugs hinder the potential of people, and if we end this problem, the potential of Thais will be restored.”
The operation will start next month and last until the end of July, focusing on high-risk areas — 51 border districts in 14 provinces — identified by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB).
Seventy-six police stations in the districts will join the operation.
Military units and other officials must work together to prevent drugs from entering Thailand, Ms Paetongtarn said. Good welfare benefits would be provided to officials who demonstrate dedication to the mission, she said.
Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said Thailand has many natural entry points that traffickers can use, and border officials alone cannot cover all of them, so the operation would strengthen prevention.
If conditions do not improve within six months, he said, then stricter protocols would be adopted.
‘Super labs’ in Myanmar
Recent data indicates a significant increase in the trafficking of illicit drugs into Thailand, particularly from Myanmar.
Organised crime networks have allied with militias and rebel groups to establish large-scale “super labs” in Shan and Kachin states of Myanmar.
In the first eight months of 2024, authorities in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son seized 346 million methamphetamine tablets, a 172% increase compared to seizures for all of 2023.
Seizures of crystal methamphetamine in the same provinces rose by 39% during the same period, totalling 6.48 tonnes. Heroin seizures totalled 327 kilogrammes — nearly seven times the amount seized in 2023.
Despite the increased seizures, the street price of methamphetamine tablets in Thailand has continued to decline, suggesting a significant volume of drugs is still evading law enforcement efforts.
As of 2024, the average price per tablet was between 25 and 30 baht, compared with 200 baht a decade earlier.
National police chief Kittharath Punpetch said drug trafficking still follows a set pattern, with products trafficked across borders to storage sites in Thailand, before being transported via various routes to provinces in all parts of the country.
Police would work closely with the military and set up more checkpoints in the problem areas, he said.