Most Drugs Seized in Thailand Coming from Mussuh Minority Group in Myanmar

Chiang Rai customs border officers watch for traffickers daily

 

CHIANG RAI – Anti-narcotic police have revealed that most illegal drugs seized from smugglers belong to an ethnic group in Myanmar living near northern Thai border.

Chief of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau Pol Lt Gen Chaiwat Chotima disclosed that the majority of illegal drugs smuggled into Thailand were transported by a group believed to be working for Colonel ‘Yi-sae’, a leader of a minority group in Myanmar called Black Mussuh. The group resides near the Thai-Burmese border in the northern region.

Pol Lt Gen Chaiwat said that smugglers change their tactics all the time. Some hide them in a bus or truck hoping to go undetected by the police. Some are now using mail to deliver drugs. Recently, expensive vehicles had been used in an attempt to raise no suspicion. The drugs would often change hands to reduce the risks of getting caught.

The anti-narcotic police chief said that coordination with local authorities and the use of technology have been keys to intercept drugs on their routes. The measures are tightened most in the North, followed by the Northeast. He said Deputy Prime Minister Police Captain Chalerm Yubumrung and Police Commissioner General Police General Adul Sangsingkaew have ordered those responsible for drug suppression to quickly gather leads and evidence in order for arrest warrants to be issued to criminals both in and outside the country.