Police Arrest Drug Trafficker US$1.6 Million in Assets Seized

Narcotics Suppression Police have arrested an alleged major drug trafficker and seized assets worth over US$1.6 million during raids on Tuesday morning.

The deputy chief of the national police, Gen Roy Inkhapairoj, said teams of narcotics suppression officers raided 30 locations in southern Thailand.

Mr Paosee Arwaemae, 50, from Narathiwat, was captured during the operation in the Hat Yai district of Songkhla.

The Criminal Court had issued an arrest warrant for him on Dec 30 for illegal possession of illicit drugs with intent to sell, police said.

According to the deputy national police chief, the arresting police officers seized assets worth approximately US$1.6 million for forensic examination. All these items were believed to have been bought with money earned from drug trafficking, including seven houses, blocks of land, 21 cars, and 20 motorcycles.

The police raid followed the arrest of two men in November of last year. Police seized 300 kilograms of crystal meth and 4,000 meth pills at a checkpoint in Chumphon, Thailand.

From those two arrests, narcotics suppression investigators focused on Mr Paosee. He was believed to be a significant figure in a national drug trafficking ring.

According to the Narcotic Suppression Bureau, he was found to have connections with other suspects in central Thailand. These suspects were smuggling large amounts of drugs from the Northeast and North to Bangkok and its environs, and from there to the South, for trafficking to other countries.

After warrants were obtained from a court, Mr Paosee and six other suspects were then arrested.

As a result of questioning, Mr Paosee admitted to several years of smuggling drugs from neighbouring countries.