Northern Thailand
Deputy Police Commissioner Reports Wide Spread Heroin Use in Chiang Mai Province
Police Region 5 and Drug Enforcement Administration Region 5 office announced on January 7th that 8.2 kilos of heroin was found on the roadside in Chiang Mai. – Photo CityNews
CHIANG MAI – The Deputy Commissioner of Police Region 5 has described the number of heroin users in Chiang Mai as “widespread” after police discovered nearly 10 million baht worth of heroin in a stash on the side of the road as part of an ongoing operation.
8.2 kilos of heroin with a street value of nearly 10 million baht was found on a roadside along the Chiang Mai – Doi Suthep Road in the Doi Suthep – Pui National Park, but no suspect were found.
According to CityNews in Chiang Mai, Police suspect the drug runners were tipped off about the sting operation and abandoned the heroin.
The Deputy Commissioner also revealed that heroin is widespread among adolescents being both dealers and drug users.
Police have conducted heroin specific sweeps of Chiang Mai villages in Ban Mae Sai Mai, Ban Huai Kub Kab and Ban Huay Satan since November of last year.
According to Police Investigators, most heroin users started with marijuana and later added heroin to the joint or pipe before moving on to injection.
Police also emphasized the significance of checking for signs of drug abuse. In case of heroin, the person’s behavior will change noticeably, they will drastically lose weight, have dark-circles around their eyes, and act drowsy.
