Disabled Thai woman busted in Valentine’s Day Yaba crackdown

Authorities in the Isaan province of Roi Et arrested a 78 year old Thai woman with a disability and seized 151 tablets of methamphetamine, also known as Yaba, as part of the Expressing Love to Yaba Dealers crackdown on Valentine’s Day.

Roi Et provincial administrative authorities together with police and soldiers launched the anti-narcotics operation on Valentine’s Day after receiving a tip-off about 78 year old the drug dealer Chotima Jeremiah. Chotiman was found offering Yaba to teenagers in the province and asked them to pick up the drugs at her house.

Authorities then raided her house on the Phadung Panich Road yesterday. Chotima facilitated the raid but looked frightened and acted suspiciously. Chotima became angry when officers questioned her suspicious behaviour.

Chotima eventually admitted to possessing and selling methamphetamine. She then pulled out three plastic bags of Yaba from her sarong, which included 151 tablets. The old woman also confessed to selling Yaba to young drug addicts in the area.

Chotima claimed that she had to sell drugs to make a living as she could not find a job or do anything else because of her disabled legs.

The Deputy Secretary General of the Narcotics Control Board Office (ONCB), Piyasiri Wattanawarangkul, insisted that Chotima should be punished according to the law and that her disability should not be used as an excuse to sell drugs or avoid punishment.

Piyasiri said that the other elderly individuals did not earn their livelihood through drug sales, despite also experiencing disabilities. He stressed that the appropriate authorities must initiate legal action against her and conduct further investigations to facilitate the rehabilitation of young addicts within the community.

According to the Narcotics Act, possession and sale of a Category 1 substance can lead to imprisonment ranging from four to 15 years, a fine ranging from 80,000 to 300,000 baht, or both. There has been no report regarding whether Chotima used the drugs.