Crime
Thai Authorities Seize Nearly 250 Million Methamphetamine Pills in Only Three Months
CHIANG RAI – Thai authorities seized 247 million methamphetamine pills in a series of coordinated drug raids across Thailand from November 2018 to January 2019.
The Spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, Lt. Gen. Kongcheep Tantravanich, said the Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister, Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan, was given a briefing about the three-month drug suppression operations conducted by military, police, and administrative officials.
During the operations, the authorities also seized 3,455 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, 800 kilograms of heroin, almost 9,000 kilograms of marijuana, kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) leaves, and opium.
Maj. Gen. Kongcheep said over 23,000 drug-related arrests were made during the last three months.
He said Gen. Prawit had expressed his gratitude to all government agencies taking part in these operations.
The Golden Triangle straddling Chiang Rai, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar’s borders is notorious as the main production base of illegal drugs that are sold in Thailand.
These nations have joined forces to set up the “Safe Mekong Coordination Centre” to jointly fight illegal drug smuggling along the Mekong River and the Golden Triangle.
Sirinya Sitthichai, secretary-general of the Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCD), said Taiwanese drug bosses had moved into the drug-production businesses in the Golden Triangle with new formula of meth created by their chemists after Thailand strictly banned the shipment of 20 precursor chemicals across borders
