Police arrest 261 on drugs charges after six-year operation

By THE NATION

 

 

THAI AUTHORITIES have arrested 261 transnational drug suspects, most of whom originated from West Africa and used their unsuspecting Thai wives as drug couriers, Narcotics Control Board of Thailand (ONCB) chief Sirinya Sitdhichai said on Wednesday.

 

The men offered the women free trips to Japan with a request to carry luggage, which was later found to contain narcotics and led to the carriers’ arrests, said Sirinya.

 

Under an operation spearheaded by the Airport Interdiction Task Force (AITF) since 2012, Thai officers have arrested 261 suspects in 221 cases, |and seized 471 kilograms of cocaine and 198 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine or “ice” in Thailand, Sirinya said. 

 

 

The latest arrest was of a Nigerian man, Collins Elochukwu Orakwue, |a key member in the drug-trafficking gang, in Surat Thani’s Koh Samui district on August 3. 

 

It stemmed from the Japanese authority’s interception of a large amount of drugs late last year from a Thai woman, and Japan’s subsequent request for their counterparts to pick up the investigation and nab the Western African suspect who had used the Thai to smuggle drugs into Japan, Sirinya said. 

 

Orakwue’s arrest also led to the arrest of gang member, Nigerian Chinedu Victor Okeke, along with 284 grams of cocaine on Koh Samui. |He faces a drug possession charge. 

 

The AITF officers also shared information with their narcotic-suppression counterparts in other countries, Sirinya said. The number of Thai nationals arrested at Japanese airports since April stood at 26 suspects in 23 cases from which 27,671 grams of “ice” had been confiscated. 

 

He said the many arrests at Japanese airports of drug-smuggling Thai women – who were either willing participants or were lured by free tour offers to carry luggage - prompted the Japanese police to also join the ONCB probes.

 

 

Apart from arresting those involved in smuggling drugs from Thailand to other countries, the AITF also cracked down on those transporting drugs into Thailand or transiting through Thai airports to reach a third destination. 

 

Sirinya said AITF officers had recently arrested three suspects in two separate drug busts at Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport and seized 1,985 grams of “ice”, leading to the three Western African suspects who ordered the drug transport. 

 

He said those smuggling cocaine via flights into Thailand, as per the Western African suspects’ orders, usually originated in South American countries, including Columbia, Peru, Argentina and Brazil, and then paused in Middle Eastern countries. Meanwhile, gang members in Thailand would arrange for Thai or Southeast Asian women, who were married to – or had relationships with – the gang members, to move the drugs to other destinations, such as Japan and South Korea.

 

The AITF’s success in intercepting drugs coming into or out of Thai airports had led to many gangs shifting to smuggling drugs into a neighbouring country’s airport, and then transporting the illicit cargo by land into Thailand instead, he said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30351749

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-8-8

700 kg is enough to keep Khao San road energised for a week. Great haul after 6 years of work. 

As if Thailand didn't have enough of it's own problems. You'd think these folks would face severe scrutiny trying to come here. When I was younger I was strip searched over 20 times coming into my OWN country (Pearson) cause I fit a profile at the time (travelling often, travelling alone, certain age, arriving from drug source countries yada yada)

And  look at the scrutiny us married people face obtaining an extension here at immigration. Why are these folks allowed to come in and set up shop seemingly so easy?

The other night they got up in Chang Rai (according to other news) 980kg of Ice and just under 5,000,000 tabs. The loads just keep getting bigger. The cooks across the border must be working a lot of OT.

Edited August 8, 20187 yr by from the home of CC
grammatical error

17 minutes ago, from the home of CC said:

As if Thailand didn't have enough of it's own problems. You'd think these folks would face severe scrutiny trying to come here. When I was younger I was strip searched over 20 times coming into my OWN country (Pearson) cause I fit a profile at the time (travelling often, travelling alone, certain age, arriving from drug source countries yada yada)

And  look at the scrutiny us married people face obtaining an extension here at immigration. Why are these folks allowed to come in and set up shop seemingly so easy?

I am inclined to be paranoid and say "because we middle aged white guys are an easier target"  but honestly, it is just as you say and makes no sense at all.

471 kgs of cocaine.?????not likley

Edited August 8, 20187 yr by mok199
speliings

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

Under an operation spearheaded by the Airport Interdiction Task Force (AITF) since 2012, Thai officers have arrested 261 suspects in 221 cases, |and seized 471 kilograms of cocaine and 198 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine or “ice” in Thailand, Sirinya said. 

That's a lot to go in the front and back passages; maybe a lot of mules?

What no joke?

Sounds like a beat up to me, after being embarrassed into action by the Japs.

Ok.

I'll be maybe the first to post it.

Single guys from the dark continent should not come under VOA or VE.

Entry should be allowed if a job is/has been approved prior to arrival and the company should be at the airport to meet and greet with all company documentation and directors ID's blah blah to hand.

Not too different from the situations I had going to work in the ME in the 80's.

Edited August 8, 20187 yr by overherebc

Which neighbouring country's airport? 

Laos? Cambodia?  Not likely to be in Myanmar as everything is X-rayed coming in.

22 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

THAI AUTHORITIES have arrested 261 transnational drug suspects, most of whom originated from West Africa and used their unsuspecting Thai wives as drug couriers,

Unsuspecting Thai wives?

 

LMAO

Many people complain that the police always catch the mules, and they serve the time, while those higher up the chain keep on moving product. Here is a case where they moved up the chain. 

On 8/8/2018 at 9:19 PM, The Deerhunter said:

I am inclined to be paranoid and say "because we middle aged white guys are an easier target"  but honestly, it is just as you say and makes no sense at all.

Criminals usually bypass all that shit, and swim across the mekong,  and overstay, and so forth,  that's the likely reason. 

Unsuspecting Thai wives my ass

Good catch but tip of the iceberg.  Governments can never win this so called battle.  Time for a new approach.