Police arrest two in Chiang Rai over meth smuggling in avocados

Police captured two agents linked to smuggling 1.5 million methamphetamine tablets disguised in avocado boxes, connected to a previous seizure involving pineapples. The operation, led by Chiang Rai police, resulted in the arrests of 28 year old Sunittra and 29 year old Watthana.

Police received information on a significant drug trafficking operation from the Mae Chan district, with drugs being concealed in parcels and sent via a private delivery service in Pa Sang, Mae Chan, Chiang Rai. On the evening of June 21, officers arrived at the company and were informed by staff about ten boxes labelled as containing avocados.

Upon inspection, each box contained bundles of methamphetamine tablets marked with a football club crest and the letters L.F.C., amounting to approximately 150,000 tablets per box, totalling 1.5 million tablets. The police then launched an investigation to track down the perpetrators.

The boxes indicated the sender’s and receiver’s names, addresses in Bang Yai, Nonthaburi, and a phone number. All evidence was handed over to investigators at Mae Chan police station to further the case. The investigation led to the capture of the two suspects, connecting them to an earlier case where authorities seized 994,000 methamphetamine tablets on June 19.

The latter case involved a 47 year old man, known as Kai, who drove a pickup truck loaded with foam boxes to Chiang Rai police station, fearing illegal items hidden within.

Kai explained that he was a delivery worker and had been hired to transport approximately 2,000 kilogrammes of pineapples from Mueang Chiang Rai to Talad Thai market in Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani, for 8,000 baht (US$220). He picked up the boxes from a house in Mueang Chiang Rai but noticed that the boxes wrapped in plastic were heavier than those without, and the high fee raised his suspicions. Concerned, he went to the police for assistance.

From Kai’s testimony, it was revealed that the suspects had a connection to the earlier meth seizure. The police charged the two suspects with jointly distributing methamphetamine by possessing it for sale without permission, causing widespread distribution among the public and affecting state security, reported KhaoSod.

The investigation is ongoing as police are determined to dismantle the network behind these operations.