Thailand Becoming a Hub for Drug Syndicates in China

Drug trafficking in Southeast Asia has surged significantly due to the expansion of transportation infrastructure in the region, such as the new high-speed train in Laos, which makes it easier and faster to smuggle drugs from China to the area via Thailand.

Thailand has become desirable location for a large number of drug syndicates in China and other foreign drug traffickers due to its openness to tourism, Pol Lt Gen Sarayuth Sanguanpokhai, commissioner of Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) told the Bangkok Post.

“Tourism contributes much to Thailand’s revenues and tourism campaigns attract many foreign tourists, but at the same time, drug traffickers enter the country with tourist visas disguised as tourists and run their businesses here,” said Pol Lt Gen Sarayuth.

Thailand is surrounded by countries in the Golden Triangle bordering Chiang Rai province that produce synthetic drugs in abundance, making Thailand an ideal location for drug trafficking.

In the Nakhon Pathom province last week, the NSB officers arrested a couple from China, Jun Dai, 42, and his partner, Jiali Xie, 28, on an arrest warrant.

Two people were charged with attempting to traffic heroin out of Thailand and possessing a Category 1 drug.

Couple from China Had Assets Seized

Pol Lt Gen Sarayuth stated that the NSB had discovered a suspicious package being shipped to Australia through an international shipping service. When NSB officers examined the package, they discovered 4.19 kilograms of heroin. An investigation revealed the couple from China had sent the package.

Upon arresting the couple from China in Thailand’s Nakhon Pathom, NSB officers seized their properties, including six apartment rooms in Bangkok and Pattaya, one car, and gold, worth 9.3 million baht.

The NSB’s Division 3 was assigned to handle the legal proceedings.

Drugs Flow from China Through The Golden Triangle

An investigation revealed the couple from China were perhaps involved in a drug syndicate. A drug ring that linked to Thailand and China which was being pursued by NSB officers, Pol Lt Gen Sarayuth said

Thailand, Laos, and China are improving their public transportation systems and now it only takes several hours to travel from mainland China to Southeast Asian countries.

Now it is even more convenient for drug syndicates to smuggle drugs into Thailand before shipping them overseas. The situation will only intensify when China reopens after the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Pol Lt Gen Sarayuth.

According to the NSB commissioner, many transnational organized criminal groups operate in Thailand and have networks based in Myanmar and China.

The NSB works closely with the China’s embassy police attaché, charge d’affaires, and the National Narcotics Control Commission (NNCC) in China to solve crimes involving drugs being smuggled through Thailand by drug syndicates in China. We have also teamed up with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to combat narcotics,” said Pol Lt Gen Sarayuth.

Royal Thai Police have assigned a special task force to work with AFP, including the Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO), and Department of Special Investigation (DSI).

Transnational organized crime, drug trafficking, and money laundering are the main focuses of the force. Intelligence and analysis gathered from investigations are stored in a shared database where officers can access them quickly.

The law needs to be revised and updated to address the evolving nature of drug trafficking crimes, Pol Lt Gen Sarayuth said.Saying, national and international cooperation will play an important role in taking down the drug syndicates.