Jail search follows drug ring allegations
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The Department of Corrections joined forces with police to search cells at the Bang Kwang Central Prison where alleged drug ring suspect Peerayuth Phaedsakul and three others had been held, after another suspect - Nipon Kanchat - implicated Peerayuth, dep
Provincial Police Region 6 investigators yesterday also interrogated Major Piyanat Jetjamras of the Army’s third engineer group at Somdet Phra Borommatrailokanart Camp in Phitsanulok’s Wang Thong district, after Nipon levelled charges against him too.
The moves followed the arrest of Nipon, who allegedly stashed narcotics valued at billions of baht in a Pathum Thani house he rented from Thai actress Jariya Hannarong. Nipon had claimed he was in the same drug ring as Peerayuth. The Department of Corrections brought a police special task force unit to search Peerasak’s cell as well as his three friends’ cells on Wednesday night and found one mobile phone.
The unit searched the cells again yesterday morning but didn’t find anything illegal. The prison director Wissanu Prajongkij said Peerayuth maintained his innocence and the prison would continue to investigate the case. Currently Peerayuth was being detained in a solitary cell pending the prison and police investigations.
After Nipon claimed Major Piyanat had been involved in his drug dealing business, an arrest warrant was issued by a Bangkok court at noon. Police and four other agencies interrogated the officer who reportedly signed an acknowledgement of the charges against him and provided further information. A police source alleged that Major Piyanat confessed he was hired to drive a car carrying the drugs from Chiang Rai to Bangkok for Bt1 million. Reporters were later told the officer would be taken to a safe house. Army chief General Prayuth Chanocha said soldiers involved in drug dealing would be punished.
Authorities are trying to reclaim old ID cards issued to Internal Security Operation Command officials after it was found Nipon had one in his possession.
Police yesterday announced they had arrested Nipon’s righthand man Thatchakorn ‘Joke” Kannachat, 39, at Bangkok Transport office in Chatuchak district on Tuesday. A search at his home found 19 cars, 1 jet ski, a pistol, and 500 grams of crystal meth. Joke allegedly confessed he had used the drug money to run a secondhand car selling business for two years
Samut Prakan police announced the arrest yesterday of three drug suspects along with 1kg of crystal meth worth Bt3 million, along with bank accounts for Bt500,000, in a house in Muang district late Wednesday night – following a tipoff.
The Drug Suppression Bureau reported yesterday that two Nigerian men, Okechukwk Joe Agba, 26, and Anayo Donatus Ojuro, 36, had been arresterd in Bang Na area along with 500 grams of ice on Wednesday night. Another Nigerian man Laurence Namdi Ogafo, 29, was arrested allegedly with 97g of cocaine, and 2.57 kg of marijuana at Robinson Mall, Ratchadapisek.
