Two Thai police officers arrested in major drug network crackdown
Officers arrested on money laundering charges; 35.2 million baht in assets seized
Yesterday, August 15, two police officers were arrested for their involvement in a drug network, leading to the seizure and freezing of assets worth 35.2 million baht. The operation involved multiple police units focusing on money laundering activities linked to drug trafficking.
Police Lieutenant General Santi Chaiyanirami, Commander of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, and Police Lieutenant General Surapol Prembutr, Commander of Provincial Police Region 1, led the operation. Together, they detained Lieutenant Colonel Weerakan, Deputy Inspector of Pathum Thani Provincial Police Investigation, and Sergeant Major Yuranan, Squad Leader of the same unit.
The pair were charged with money laundering, specifically for transferring or receiving assets to conceal their origins or to aid others in evading legal repercussions.
The investigation team seized assets from the network in two phases: the first valued at 11,420,000 baht and the second at 23,789,000 baht, amounting to a total of 35,209,000 baht.
This operation followed a previous arrest on January 19 by the Narcotics Suppression Bureau Division 2 and the Border Patrol Police Bureau. They detained two individuals, Gatakorn and Patra, linked to Theerayut, also known as “Beer”, with 3 million methamphetamine pills hidden in a white Isuzu MU-X vehicle in Mueang Nakhon Pathom district.
Further investigation led to arrest warrants for five additional network members. Theerayut, the mastermind, and Wongkorn, responsible for smuggling drugs across the border, remain at large. Arrests were made for Panya, Anjumani, and Pattharaphong on February 10, as per warrants issued by the Criminal Court.
The financial investigation uncovered individuals involved in transferring network funds, resulting in the arrest of two more suspects, Kritsada and Surasak.
Additionally, the Narcotics Suppression Bureau Division 2 found evidence of police officers accepting cash withdrawals from Kritsada’s drug account, reported KhaoSod. Consequently, sufficient evidence was gathered to secure arrest warrants, culminating in the arrest of the implicated officers.
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