Elderly man arrested for transporting nearly 300,000 meth pills

A 77 year old man was arrested for transporting drugs for a Laotian network, with police seizing 288,000 methamphetamine pills. Police disclosed the man was paid to deliver the drugs, which were bought for 5 baht per pill and sold for 20 baht each.

Police in Amnat Charoen, northeast Thailand announced the arrest of Atthapol Wanthaprom, who was found in possession of a significant quantity of meth pills. The arrest took place following a tip-off that a drug delivery would occur on a road near the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives branch in Huai Rai, leading to Ban Phakdi Charoen in Mueang District. Officers observed a suspicious vehicle matching the provided description and searched.

Officers discovered two large fertiliser sacks in the back of a green Nissan pickup truck with the registration plate บต 1649 Amnat Charoen. The sacks, which were concealed under a cloth, contained 144 bundles of meth pills. Police also confiscated a mobile phone found in the vehicle.

Atthapol confessed to being hired by a Laotian individual to transport the drugs to designated customers. He revealed that the cost price of the meth in this shipment was 5 baht per pill. The agents then resell the pills to customers for 20 baht per pill, although the price could vary depending on the quantity purchased.

“I was just delivering the drugs as per the instructions I received.”

The profitability of this illegal trade was highlighted by the stark difference between the purchase and resale prices, illustrating the substantial markup that traffickers earn.

The arrest was part of a coordinated effort by regional law enforcement to clamp down on drug trafficking networks operating across borders, reported KhaoSod.

In related news, a drug bust by the Phuket Provincial Police has led to the arrests of three individuals and the seizure of over 15,000 meth pills, along with various items under the Narcotics Control Act. The total estimated value of the seized items exceeds 387,000 baht.