Police in Thailand Thwart 100Kg Narcotics Shipment to Australia

Thailand’s Narcotics Control Board reports the have broken up a narcotics trafficking cell and seized over 100Kg of illegal narcotics bound for Australia. Suspects from three countries were apprehended.

The Narcotics Control Board secretary-general Wichai Chaimongkhon, told a press briefing that they received a tip-off on April 1st that heroin was being trafficked from Thailand to Australia.

Officers from the NCB raided a warehouse in Bangkok and seize 80 bricks of heroin weighing a total of 29.6kg while working with a joint task force.  The bricks of heroin had been disguised in plastic resin and were scheduled to be sent from Bangkok to Australia.

Ms. Kanda Kanthong, a 34-year-old Songkhla resident, was apprehended at the spot. She admitted to being employed by 63-year-old Malaysian Leung Ka Wing.

Police later detained the Malaysian at a petrol station on Rama 3 Road, where they discovered an additional 3.3kg of methamphetamine coated in resin. Jai Lhu, a 36-year-old Thai national, was also detained.

Thai investigators were able to find another member of the gang, Kai Cheong Chan, a 62-year-old man from Hong Kong, after interrogating the other suspects. He was discovered with 30Kg of methamphetamine and 64Kg of heroin in his condominium unit in Bangkok.

Following the busts, the Narcotics Suppression Bureau worked with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to track down the drugs’ final destination, which led to a Thai-Australian citizen in Australia. The Australian Federal Police are currently tracking down the individual.

Narcotics Seized in Chiang Rai

Following an exchange of gunfire near the Thai-Myanmar border in Chiang Rai on Tuesday night, three suspected drug smugglers were murdered, and 160,000 speed tablets, 5.6kg of heroin, and some raw opium were seized.

On Tuesday night, a military patrol noticed a group of five to seven guys carrying rucksacks along the border in tambon Mae Salong Nok in Mae Fah Luang district.

The soldiers requested that the guys stop for a search, but the men responded by opening fire, causing the troops to shoot back. The gunfight lasted around five minutes before the men retreated into the night.

Officers shut off the Doi Samsao Noi region overnight and visited the clash scene on Wednesday morning, where they discovered three men’s dead. Four rucksacks found nearby, carrying the speed tablets, heroin, and 19.5kg of raw opium.

According to Maj Gen Suparuek Sathapornphon, commander of the Pha Muang task force, drug smugglers frequently hunt for opportunities during Songkran because they believe fewer security forces will be on duty during the lengthy holiday.

Narcotics Suppression Police Take Down Heroin Trafficking Gang

Narcotics Suppression Police Take Down Heroin Trafficking Gang