Thai police seize meth pills worth 14 million baht during elections
Thai police seized 700,000 methamphetamine pills in Amnat Charoen province, arresting four people involved in drug trafficking. The operation occurred as local elections for the provincial administrative organisation chief were underway, providing a distraction for the smugglers.
The capture took place on February 1, after officers received a tip-off about suspicious sacks hidden in a cassava plantation along the road between Ban Sam Yaek Chomphu and Ban Na Pa Saeng in the Na Pa Saeng subdistrict, Pathum Ratchawongsa district.
Upon inspection, police discovered three fertiliser sacks containing 250 bundles of methamphetamine pills, totalling 500,000 tablets.
Police decided to leave the sacks in place and kept watch until a white Chevrolet pickup truck with registration 6646 from Ubon Ratchathani arrived. Two men exited the vehicle to load the sacks.
Officers then apprehended one suspect, identified as Panha or Tan, while the second man, later identified as Promes, managed to flee under the cover of darkness.
On the same day, investigators from Chanuman Police Station arrested three more suspects linked to the drug operation, seizing an additional 200,000 methamphetamine pills in a nearby sugarcane plantation, 10 kilometres from the initial site.
The suspects confessed to being contacted by individuals from Laos to collect the drugs for distribution across Northeast Thailand.
Officials revealed that the methamphetamine pills were mixed with crystal methamphetamine to slow their dissolution, extending their effects.
This batch held an estimated street value of 7 million baht (US$206,710), potentially rising to 14 million baht (US$413,410) once distributed to dealers, reported KhaoSod.
The smugglers took advantage of the local election period, anticipating less stringent security measures due to the increased focus on the elections.
In similar news, in Sai Noi district, Nonthaburi, a drug courier was shot and injured during a police chase that resulted in the seizure of 800,000 methamphetamine pills early morning on January 28.
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