4 Vietnamese arrested for turning Bangkok house into drug factory
Parcel sting operation exposes hidden operation supplying cross-border narcotics trade
Police arrested four Vietnamese nationals for transforming a rented house in the Lat Phrao area of Bangkok into a drug production facility.
The Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) disclosed details of the arrests during a press conference yesterday, August 21, following the apprehension of the suspects in mid-August. The operation stemmed from discussions during the Thailand-Vietnam Bilateral Meeting on cooperation in tackling drug crimes.
Vietnamese officials reported that an intensified crackdown on drug traffickers in their country may have prompted some dealers to relocate their operations to Thailand.
Thai officials monitored the situation closely until they intercepted a suspicious parcel delivered to a Bangkok condominium from the Netherlands. Upon inspection, the parcel was found to contain 5,200 grammes of ketamine.
The parcel was deliberately delivered to its intended destination on August 18, a condominium in Bangkok’s Ramkhamhaeng area, in order to lure suspects into collecting it. Two Vietnamese men claimed the parcel and were immediately arrested.
It was later discovered that the men did not actually reside at the condominium, but had only used the address to receive the illegal package sent from abroad.
Following their confession, police raided a rented house in Lat Phrao, where two more Vietnamese suspects were arrested. Inside the property, officers discovered 514 ecstasy pills, a pellet-pressing machine, drug logo stamps, and other drug production equipment.
The suspects admitted to manufacturing drugs in the house, revealing that ketamine was mixed with ecstasy to enhance the effects. Some of the drugs produced were reportedly smuggled back to Vietnam for further distribution.
Police have not yet clarified the specific charges or penalties faced by the four Vietnamese nationals. It is expected that they will serve their sentences in Thailand before being deported to Vietnam for further legal proceedings.
In a related development, Thai authorities arrested a Brazilian couple at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in May after they attempted to smuggle cocaine worth more than 22 million baht. Three weeks ago, a French man was also arrested in Phuket for his involvement in a major international drug trafficking network.
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