BANGKOK — The streets of Bangkok, already pulsing with the chaos of urban life, are facing a new and dangerous scourge: methamphetamine addicts, driven by their addiction, are cutting power lines and stealing electrical wires to sell the copper content for quick cash.
Driven by addiction, these thefts have caused frequent blackouts, big financial losses, and serious injuries to some thieves, with a few getting electrocuted during their attempts. This surge in cable theft highlights the growing problem of meth use in Thailand, which continues to hurt communities and stretch public services.
On the night of 14 May, a failed theft in Lat Krabang ended with three suspects in police custody. One of them was badly shocked while cutting a live cable. The Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) said the group had been stealing cables for weeks.
They confessed that they sold the copper to pay for methamphetamine, known locally as “ice” or “yaba.” The stolen cables were worth over 500,000 baht (about $15,000), but the repair costs and power disruptions pushed the total damages into several million baht. Two more gang members are still on the run, and police are searching for them across the city.
“They were desperate,” said Police Colonel Anuwat Phromsopa, who led the arrests. “They admitted they used almost all the money on meth. Addiction and crime feed off each other in a cycle that’s hard to break.”
The MEA reported more than 120 cable thefts in Bangkok since January 2025, a sharp rise from previous years. Each case cuts off power to homes and businesses and brings real danger. Some neighbourhoods have faced complete blackouts, affecting hospitals, schools, and key services.
The cost is huge: repairs, lost work, and emergency responses have cost over 200 million baht (around $6 million) this year alone. These repeated outages are also making many people lose faith in the city’s ability to provide basic services.
The rise in cable theft is closely tied to Thailand’s methamphetamine crisis. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said East and Southeast Asia seized a record 190 tonnes of meth in 2023.
Much of it came from Myanmar’s Shan State, which borders northern Thailand. The Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) reported that seizures in northern Thailand jumped by 172% from 2023 to mid-2024, with 346 million meth pills taken off the streets.
Methamphetamine is a cheap, strong drug that has spread across all parts of Thai society—from city slums to small villages. Its low price and powerful effects have trapped millions, with Thailand’s north acting as a main route for drug trafficking from Myanmar’s Golden Triangle.
The ONCB estimates that more than 1.5 million Thais are now hooked on meth, and Bangkok, with its large population, sees high rates of use and crime linked to the drug.
“Meth is tearing families and communities apart,” said Dr Niramol Suthiphan, a public health expert at Chulalongkorn University. “Addicts risk their lives stealing copper for their next fix. This is not just a crime problem—it’s a public health crisis.”
The danger of cable theft is clear. Aside from the Lat Krabang case, a similar incident in Sukhumvit last month left a 29-year-old man in critical condition after he was shocked while trying to cut a high-voltage wire.
These accidents put not just the thieves in danger, but also utility workers and first responders who must repair the damage. The MEA has stepped up patrols and fitted cables with tamper-proof covers in high-risk areas, but these changes only offer temporary safety.
The impact goes further than the thieves themselves. Families are left broken, and communities live with fear and rising crime. In Klong Toey, one of Bangkok’s largest slums, people have seen more thefts and violence as meth use spreads.
“It’s everywhere,” said Somchai, a 45-year-old street vendor. “Young people steal anything—wires, pipes, scrap metal—to buy yaba. We’re afraid to go out at night.”
The government has boosted border patrols and cracked down on trafficking rings, with some big results. Police seized 450 kilograms of crystal meth in Nong Khai earlier this month. There are rehab programmes, like The Cabin Chiang Mai, that give hope to addicts, but they cannot meet the growing need.
People are calling for tougher penalties for cable theft and better addiction support. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra spoke about the issue recently, promising more funding for anti-drug work and grid protection. “We cannot let this crisis control our country,” she explained. “We must fight it with strong action—through policing, treatment, and prevention.”
For now, people and businesses in Bangkok feel the pressure. The MEA is working around the clock to restore power and protect the grid, but the real challenge is bigger: breaking the cycle of addiction that drives these crimes. Unless Thailand can tackle the roots of its meth problem, the cable thefts—and the dangers—are likely to continue.
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Geoff Thomas is an award winning journalist known for his sharp insights and no-nonsense reporting style. Over the years he has worked for Reuters and the Canadian Press covering everything from political scandals to human interest stories. He brings a clear and direct approach to his work.
