1,200kg of kratom leaves seized in Songkhla
Three vehicles ran a road checkpoint in Songkhla’s Sadao district, but only one made it through, while the tyres of the other two were punctured by road spikes, after which 1,200 kilograms of kratom leaves were seized.
After the run on the checkpoint in Ban Hua Khuan village in Tambon Samnak Taew at 3am, Interior Ministry officials chased the vehicles and found a Honda car about a kilometre from the checkpoint and Toyota pickup truck about 5 km away.
Boonphat Raknui, Sadao district chief, said another white car, whose licence plate is not known, managed to get through.
The district chief said he instructed his two assistants to set up road checkpoints along with district officials and defence volunteers to try to stop drug smuggling.
At the Ban Hua Khuan checpoint, the officials spotted three vehicles following each other at high speed. As they would not slow down, the officials used a chain of road spikes to try to stop them.
He said the drivers of the car and pickup fled before officials found the vehicles.
The district chief said 446kg of kratom leaves were found in the car and 848kg in the pickup.
Police later checked the licence plate of the pickup and found that it belongs to Nanphas Oythian in Saraburi. The car belongs to Thongchai Yingngamkaew in Nonthaburi, they said. The two will be summoned for questioning