Rush of drug shipments leads to huge seizures across country
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Police have made three huge seizures of at least 900,000 methamphetamine tablets each in the past 10 days.
Aware that police plan to install X-ray machines at checkpoints along many roads soon, traffickers had arranged huge deliveries of illicit drugs in recent days, National Police deputy commissioner Pol General Somyos Pumpanmuang told a news conference.
Speaking at the same event, Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung said a million methamphetamine tablets were found in 10 cases sent by Attapon Kerd-achacharn through legal logistics services.
Attapon was arrested on Monday, along with two other suspects, in front of a hotel in Chiang Mai.
Police tracked Attapon down after three other drug suspects arrested on October 9 implicated him.
After his arrest, police accompanied Attapon in picking up the cases from a transport-service company in Pathum Thani.
Another haul took place on October 18 in Chiang Rai, when police intercepted a truck and found 900,000 methamphetamine tablets. Manop Khunkrai and Anuwat sae Song were arrested after police stopped the truck, in which the drugs were allegedly hidden under a shipment of lignite.
On Sunday, police seized 1.28 million methamphetamine tablets from a drug suspect who then implicated many of his accomplices including Bangkok-based Pol Snr Sgt-Major Manas Suapho, ex-policeman Prawin Tuaipa and Prawin’s wife Suchada.
Manas has turned himself in to police and given useful information. Prawin and his wife are still on the run. Deputy Metropolitan Police Commissioner Maj-General Thitiraj Nongharnpitak said the manhunt now focused on the couple.
More than Bt77 million worth of assets has been seized from the couple and their accomplices.
Meanwhile, Metropolitan Police Division II will set up a panel to investigate Manas’ supervisor at the Prachachuen Police Station to determine whether he was negligent in overseeing his subordinates.
