Four arrested in northern Thailand with 8.2 million meth tablets
Suspects finally caught in sweeping anti-narcotics push
On August 25, police in the north announced the arrest of four people in connection with two major drug smuggling cases, seizing over 8.2 million methamphetamine tablets and two vehicles. The suspects admitted to having evaded capture on three previous occasions.
Police Lieutenant General Kritthapol Yeesakhorn, alongside Lampang provincial officials, including Nitiya Pongpanich, deputy governor of Lampang province, disclosed details of the arrests. The first case involved the arrest of 30 year old Theerawat and his 19 year old wife, Sunisa.
They were apprehended with 8 million methamphetamine tablets at a checkpoint in Mae Prik district, Lampang province. Their six-wheel white-and-blue Hino truck, registered in Surat Thani, was intercepted after being flagged for suspicious activity.
Upon inspection using an X-ray tunnel, police discovered suspicious items concealed within a silver steel compartment inside the truck. This hidden section contained 26 large sacks and two smaller ones, all filled with methamphetamine tablets.
Theerawat confessed to being hired by a man, Watcharapong, to transport the drugs from Chiang Rai province. He detailed his journey starting from Thung Song district, Nakhon Si Thammarat province, on August 20, arriving in Chiang Rai on August 22. The couple stayed in a hotel and purchased bottled water to disguise the illicit cargo before collecting the drugs from Mae Pao subdistrict in Phaya Mengrai district, Chiang Rai.
Their intended destination was Lao Khwan district, Kanchanaburi province, travelling through various routes, which included Chiang Rai, Mae Suai, and Doi Saket districts. Theerawat revealed that this was not his first involvement in drug smuggling.
In August alone, they had successfully transported drugs on three occasions, driven by financial pressures to support their three children. Each trip earned them 200,000 baht (US$6,160), with previous smuggling attempts involving disguising the drugs with snacks, fans, and furniture.
In the second case, officers at the Huai Nam Un checkpoint in Ai Na Lai subdistrict, Wiang Sa district, Nan province, apprehended 36 year old Pornchai and 39 year old Chor. The two men were found with a stash of 64 bundles of methamphetamine, approximately 200,000 tablets, hidden within the driver’s side door of their orange Nissan Navara pickup truck, reported KhaoSod.
They were transporting the drugs from Chiang Rai, with Sukhothai and Phitsanulok as their final destinations. Both people, along with the seized drugs, were taken into custody for legal proceedings.
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