Police snag 2.5 meth pills in checkpoint stings
A massive 2.5 million methamphetamine pills and 700 kilos of crystal meth have been found by police in Lampang, Chiang Mai and Phrae provinces.
Eighteen suspects were arrested and eight vehicles impounded in three separate cases, according to top cop Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas at a press conference yesterday.
According to reports in the Bangkok Post, two pickups fully loaded with cobs of finest Lampang corn were stopped at a checkpoint whereupon 350 kilogrammes of crystal meth was found hidden underneath the less valuable, “authentic” cargo. Six suspects were arrested. The drugs originated in Chiang Mai and were apparently destined for customers in Nakhon Si Thammarat.
In Chiang Mai, a routine vehicle inspection at a checkpoint in the Chai Prakan district unearthed 440,000 meth pills. Two suspects were arrested. Information from them led to the arrest of two others and the further seizure of 560,000 more pills, after which yet another suspect was nabbed, this time with 500,000 pills. Five suspects were detained, 1.5 million meth pills were found and four vehicles were impounded.
Meanwhile, in Phrae province, another pickup truck, this time loaded with rice, was stopped by police at a checkpoint in the Song district. Police found about a million meth pills hidden among the rice, thankfully in packages and not mixed with the grain. Seven suspects were arrested, and two vehicles were impounded.
Combating drug trafficking and tackling online crimes are the top priorities of the new national police chief, Pol Gen Damrongsak. The 13th national police chief assumed office at the beginning of this month.
As Amnat Charoen’s police commissioner and later commissioner of the lower northeastern provinces, the police general started anti-drug programmes in almost 1,500 villages, earning him national recognition and an award from the Narcotics Control Board.
