Police in Thailand Seize 600Kg of High-Grade Marijuana

Five members of a drug trafficking network were arrested separately in Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima with 600 kilograms of high-grade marijuana.

Thanakhom Yingsudcharitphan, 29, Krit Joicharoen, 30, and Phakphum Phrikbua, 25 were apprehended at a house at Ban Srisuk housing estate in Bang Khunthian district of Bangkok while Chaiwat Dawee, 30, and Yongyuth Imlimtharn 33 were arrested in Nakhon Ratchasima, Pol Lt Gen Samrarn Nuanma, chief of the Patrol and Special Operations Division, said on Thursday.

The house was searched and marijuana weighing 600 kilograms, two parcels, three cars, seven mobile phones, and packaging materials were seized. The suspects were charged with conspiring to possess illicit drugs with the intent to sell them.

Pol Lt Gen Samrarn said the arrests came after police investigators from his division arrested five other suspects and seized 616 kilograms of compressed marijuana from a house in Nonthaburi province on Oct 19.

After an extensive investigation, they learned that other members of the drug network used the house as a storage facility for illicit drugs. They monitored the network closely.

Suspects smuggled marijuana for 5 months

The police observed that Mr. Krit and Mr. Phakphum, both were staying at the property, were driving a vehicle to a department store on Rama II Road while Mr. Thanakhom was inside his house.

Upon stopping the car in a parking spot at the mall, the suspects retrieved a pickup truck, which was parked nearby, with a Sakhon Nakhon license plate. It was loaded with something heavy and covered with black plastic bags.

Police believe the pickup truck was carrying illegal drugs, according to Lt Gen Samrarn. When the officers followed the truck to Bang Khun Thian, they demanded a search and discovered 600 bars of compressed marijuana weighing 600 kilograms. There were three suspects arrested – Krit, Phakphum, and Chaiwat.

Yongyuth and Chaiwat were apprehended in Nakhon Ratchasima province later.

Yongyuth admitted that he smuggled the compressed marijuana from Mukdahan to Pak Chong district, Nakhon Ratchasima, where he unloaded the drugs into a pickup truck. The vehicle was driven to Bangkok by Mr. Chaiwat, said Pol Lt Gen Samrarn.

The five suspects admitted to being involved in drug smuggling for about five months and receiving payments of 50,000-100,000 baht each time.