Anti-Drugs Office Arrests 2 Army Officers in Drugs Probe

The Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) has arrested two serving military officers as part of its second “Operation Cutting Out the Cancer” targeting a transnational drug trafficking network led by a fugitive known as “Sia Jiw”. A lieutenant colonel attached to the Office of the Permanent Secretary for Defence and a lieutenant from a special forces unit were detained over alleged roles in money laundering and drug transport. Authorities also seized 47 assets worth more than 122 million baht.

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The arrests were announced on 2 March 2026 by ONCB secretary-general Pol Lt Col Suriya Singhakamol. The operation expanded on earlier investigations into the network, which is accused of smuggling drugs from Thailand’s northern border to the south for onward shipment to a third country. The alleged ringleader, Mr Chutithan, also known as Sia Jiw, is a former heroin offender arrested in 2006 who later changed his name and allegedly posed as a senior military officer.

The investigation began on 26 December 2024 when a task force under the Pha Muang Force intercepted a suspicious pickup truck in Mae Fah Luang district, Chiang Rai. Officers seized 44 sacks of crystal methamphetamine weighing more than 1,418 kilogrammes and recovered a mobile phone containing Line chat data identifying Sia Jiw as the alleged commander. On 8 March 2025, a six-wheel truck bearing plates resembling military registration was tracked to Doi Mae Salong Nok, where a gunfight broke out and a further 1,400 kilogrammes of crystal meth concealed in a fuel tank were seized, with seven suspects arrested.

Three of those suspects were former soldiers previously dismissed over drug offences who allegedly worked as guards and couriers for the network. On 12 February 2026, the ONCB and Provincial Police Region 5 searched eight locations in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nonthaburi and Bangkok. They arrested Sirinda, identified as Sia Jiw’s wife, Siwasan who is  accused of procuring vehicles, and Lt Chokchai, a serving officer in a special warfare unit alleged to have transported drugs.

Following Lt Chokchai’s arrest, investigators examined financial trails and uncovered suspicious transfers worth several million baht linked to a lieutenant colonel and his wife and her relatives. Evidence indicated that members of the wife’s family acted as nominees holding high-value assets on behalf of Sia Jiw and his spouse. The Chiang Rai Provincial Court issued arrest warrants, and on 25 February 2026 Lt Col Pan and his wife were arrested on Chaeng Watthana Soi 25 in Bangkok.

Pictures courtesy of Daily News

Pol Lt Col Suriya said Sia Jiw remains at large but described the arrests as cutting off key financial and operational support to the network. He cited intelligence linking Sia Jiw to a 29-kilogramme heroin smuggling case involving Thai and Taiwanese suspects, as well as reports from Army intelligence about maritime trafficking routes.

Daily News reported that authorities said the operation aims to root out state officials involved in drug crime at all levels and restore public confidence. The ONCB hotline 1386 remains open for information from the public as investigations continue.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now Dailynews 3 Mar 2026