Thai Border Patrol Police Seizes Huge Cache of Crystal Meth

Border patrol police have seized a massive haul of Crystal meth worth about 135 million baht in southern Thailand’s Songkhla on Tuesday. Police seized 135 135kg of crystal meth and arrested four men.

The arrests and seizure followed information about a delivery of drugs from Chon Buri province to a customer in Tak Bai district of Narathiwat, Pol Col Phahol Ketkaew, deputy chief of Border Patrol Police Region 4, told a media briefing yesterday.

Border patrol police had raided a room at Kaoseng resort in Songkhla on Tuesday afternoon following reports that members of a drug syndicate had checked in.

There was no-one in the room, but border police found several sacks containing 135kg of crystal meth worth about 135 million baht, Pol Col Phahol said.

Border police officers later tracked down four suspects and arrested them in Songkhla and Nakhon Si Thammarat provinces. Police also seized two cars and four mobile telephones as evidence.

Police held three men – Withoon Wichianpong, 23 of Chon Buri, Akkhawin Sawad-aksornchuen, 22 of Chon Buri, and Panupong Permcharoen, 32 of Samut Sakhon – and a  woman, Orawan Thuenbamrung, 24, of Bangkok.

Mr Withoon was caught in his car at Samrong junction in Muang district of Songhla. Mr Akkhawin was arrested when his car was stopped near a convenience store in Ratthaphum district of Songkhla.

Mr Panupong and Ms Orawan were tracked to Hat Yai bus terminal and later taken from a passenger van at a security checkpoint in Chulabhon district of Nakhon Si Thammarat around 10.20pm on Tuesday.

During questioning, the four allegedly confessed to having been hired by a man identified only as Boy, alias Tee, in Chon Buri. The drugs were intended for delivery in Tak Bai district of Narathiwat. Someone was supposed to collect the consignment from the resort room.

They said they were being paid 300,000 baht.The four were held in police custody for legal action on drug charges.

UN urges clampdown on drug precursor

Meanwhile, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has urged regional governments to focus on suppressing precursor substance trafficking to end the cross-border trade of drugs.

Together with the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), the UNODC launched its annual report “Synthetic Drugs in East and Southeast Asia: Latest Developments and Challenges 2021” in Bangkok on Thursday.

Jeremy Douglas, UNODC Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said organised crime groups have been expanding the regional trade of precursor substances, in the Upper Mekong and Shan State of Myanmar.

“While the pandemic has caused the global economy to slow down, criminal syndicates that dominate the region have quickly adapted and capitalized. They have continued to aggressively push supply in a conscious effort to build the market and demand,” he said.

Source: Bangkok Post, UNODC