Double truck driver bust yields 2.2 million meth pills, 165 grams of marijuana
Two truck drivers were arrested in a massive double bust where police seized a total of 2.2 million methamphetamine pills and 165 grams of dried marijuana. One truck full of meth was caught in the Nong Khai province on the Laos border, while the other driver was apprehended in Chon Buri province. Banglamung Police announced the arrest yesterday while working together with the Narcotics Control Board of Nong Khai province.
The first bust was at the Nong Khai border a few days ago on April 21 at a drug checkpoint. Police found white fertilizer bags wrapped in thick black plastic in a tanker truck. They open them to discover 1,800,000 meth pills inside.
The 47 year old driver named Songkram Chanpaeo confessed after his arrest that he normally does fuel oil delivery from Chon Buri to Laos but was paid 50,000 baht to transport this drug shipment from Laos to Udon Thani province. He claimed to be hired to smuggle meth by another truck driver named Somchai that he was driving to meet in Udon Thani before he was taken into custody at the drug checkpoint.
Police then tracked down the other driver Somchai Chokemhor at a gas station in the Banglamung district on Friday as he drove back to his company headquarters in Chon Buri. The police searched his room where his Laotian wife and 3-year-old son stayed. They discovered 400,000 more meth pills in his truck along with 165 grams of dried marijuana leaves at his place. He claimed that the ganja was used as medicine and boiled to be consumed as a tea.
When questioned about the first driver stopped he admitted to the partnership and the deal he made to transport the massive cache of methamphetamines into Thailand. Both men have been charged with Somchai receiving possession of category 5 narcotics charges for the marijuana and possession of category 1 narcotics charges for the methamphetamines.
SOURCE: The Pattaya News
