Samut Prakan drug operation seize narcotics worth 10 million baht

Samut Prakan police launched the second phase of their anti-drug operation, titled Operation Clip Wings to crack down on small-scale drug dealers, resulting in the seizure of hundreds of thousands of methamphetamine pills and other narcotics.

The operation began with a briefing at 10am yesterday in the Samut Prakan Provincial Police headquarters spearheaded by the Commissioner of Provincial Police Region 1, Jirasan Kaewsang-ek, and the Commander of Samut Prakan Provincial Police, Wichit Boonchinwutthikul.

Present in the meeting were officials from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) Region 1 and local administrative officers.

Earlier that same morning, over 100 officers from the police, administrative units, and ONCB were deployed to raid targeted residences as part of the crackdown.

The operation began with the apprehension of a major drug dealer, 33 year old Pronthep. Police seized 113,400 methamphetamine pills, 850.4 grammes of crystal methamphetamine, and 10 bags of a narcotic known as happy water, weighing a total of 900 grammes. Additionally, they found one firearm, 50 rounds of ammunition, and other valuable assets estimated to be worth over 10 million baht.

Pronthep was arrested at his residence in Bang Phli District, Samut Prakan. The operation also led to the arrest of approximately 20 small-scale drug users and dealers across various police jurisdictions, with a variety of illicit items confiscated.

The Samut Prakan Provincial Centre for Drug Prevention and Suppression, in collaboration with ONCB Region 1 and Samut Prakan Provincial Police, initiated the second phase of its operation to intensify drug suppression efforts from the beginning of June and continue through August.

During a raid in a community in the Bang Pu area, a woman was found selling drugs to local youths. She had been packaging methamphetamine into bags containing five pills each, believing this would avoid police detection for possession and distribution.

Her husband used the profits from the sales for personal consumption among other household expenses. An investigation revealed that her daughter’s bank account had transactions amounting to over 100,000 baht. The woman was taken into custody, and further investigations are underway to trace the main suppliers.

As noted by an official, an emphasis was placed on small-scale dealers as they often act as the primary source of drugs within communities. Authorities remain committed to following the money trail and identifying the larger networks behind these operations, reported KhaoSod.