Figures reveal extent of drug problem in Thailand

 

Image: INN

 

Figures announced by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board reveal the extent of the problem facing the authorities in Thailand.

 

Getting on for a billion Ya Ba have been seized and almost a third of a million suspects have been arrested. 

 

The NCB were announcing their results from the period of October of last year to the end of August 2018. 

 

There were 298,975 cases with 322,294 suspects. 

 

Of these more than 75,000 were serious enough to warrant major charges of nearly 90,000 suspects. 

 

In total 306,315,504 Ya Ba (methamphetamine), 30,060 kilos of ganja and 14,361 kilos of "ice" (crystal meth) were seized. 

 

A joint operation with six countries entitled "Maekhong Safety" (January 2016 to August 2018) has handled 1,836 cases involving 3,376 suspects. 

 

This operation has netted the following quantities of drugs according to INN:

 

Ya Ba: 490, 255,954 tablets

Ganja: 35,405 kilos

Ice: 18,854 kilos

Heroin: 8,073 kilos

Opium: 2,672 kilos

Ecstasy: 1,677,624 tablets.

 

Chief of the NCB Sirinya Sitthichai gave reporters a rundown on his team's work yesterday in the continuing war on drugs in Thailand. 

 

Source: INN

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-09-08

25 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

the continuing war on drugs in Thailand

 

And we all know how well wars on drugs work.

3 minutes ago, shadowofacloud said:

 

And we all know how well wars on drugs work.

Yeah going real good down Mexico way.

...and whoever shares this news on facebook will be sued by the TAT?

The buffoonery of the war on drugs a waste of human lives and money.  Education works far better than a bunch of gun toting machismos.  Also giving people a better quality life with more opportunities helps too. 

The Thais know where the factories are in Burma and those areas are not under the control of Burma's military or government. No reason why the Thai armed forces can't carry out unannounced air strikes on these places if they were serious about making a dent in the production...as not as if the Wa State Army is going to attack Thailand. However, I would guess that many powerful people are making too much money out of the transit of drugs for anything to really happen.

40 minutes ago, Lupatria said:

...and whoever shares this news on facebook will be sued by the TAT?

On the contrary. Tourism to full moon party islands will surge.

51 minutes ago, Sir Dude said:

carry out unannounced air strikes on these places

 

Yes if they don't run out of fuel flying East for two or three hours.

With numbers like that it must leave the drug business very close to the top of Thai business profits and also in employment opportunities. Corn, cassava, rubber and rice dont appear to offer the same monetary rewards. And all they ever do is catch the carriers.

1 hour ago, Sir Dude said:

The Thais know where the factories are in Burma and those areas are not under the control of Burma's military or government. No reason why the Thai armed forces can't carry out unannounced air strikes on these places if they were serious about making a dent in the production...as not as if the Wa State Army is going to attack Thailand. However, I would guess that many powerful people are making too much money out of the transit of drugs for anything to really happen.

besides the Chinese are making a killing producing the chemicals for production.

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Getting on for a billion Ya Ba have been seized and almost a third of a million suspects have been arrested. 

 

No wonder Thai jails are packed to overflowing.  They either need to build more jails or come up with a different model for handling methamphetimine addiction which seems to be pervasive.  Easy to build jails, but difficult to discern and address the underlying problem, like people wishing to feel good.  Perhaps the middle ground is to give up criminalizing consumption, decriminalize ganja and kratom, and then focus efforts on the suppliers and distribution networks of the hard drugs. 

Edited September 8, 20187 yr by connda

Frightening stats, also 30% of service conscripts test positive. 

And what of pharmaceuticals?

Less an issue.

Scary numbers and probably a big factor in agressive and crazy driving behavior. MS>

1 hour ago, connda said:

Perhaps the middle ground is to give up criminalizing consumption, decriminalize ganja and kratom, and then focus efforts on the suppliers and distribution networks of the hard drugs.

 

Yes, this seems to be the only reasonable thing to do. If cannabis products, along with kratom - both of which have been used in traditional local medicine for ages - would be available on every talad, the popularity of yaba would start decreasing. And yaba seems to be the main problem in the area, as far as drugs are concerned.

 

Some parties in the Thai government even propose legalizing all three drugs - cannabis, kratom and methamphetamine. Personally, I am not entirely convinced if hard and extremely addictive drugs such as yaba should be legal, but then it would allow the government to control the supply and target addicts with rehab programs, education or maybe even solutions similar to methadone clinics in the west.

Edited September 8, 20187 yr by shadowofacloud

These people really have no face to keep fighting when it's clear that hey have lost the war !

I wish all the kids in their families to be drug addicts !

 

 

14 hours ago, shadowofacloud said:

 

And we all know how well wars on drugs work.

Yeah and just because it's not winning a war it makes it right.you can stick to the winning side.

8 hours ago, connda said:

No wonder Thai jails are packed to overflowing.  They either need to build more jails or come up with a different model for handling methamphetimine addiction which seems to be pervasive.  Easy to build jails, but difficult to discern and address the underlying problem, like people wishing to feel good.  Perhaps the middle ground is to give up criminalizing consumption, decriminalize ganja and kratom, and then focus efforts on the suppliers and distribution networks of the hard drugs. 

Rehabilitation or prison.give them the choice.

14 hours ago, yellowboat said:

The buffoonery of the war on drugs a waste of human lives and money.  Education works far better than a bunch of gun toting machismos.  Also giving people a better quality life with more opportunities helps too. 

The was a police chief in WA, Aust whose so was heavily involved in meth,it affects anyone, also a past politicians daughter.

Perhaps the "main supplier" should find a new job but then I don't know what the Police would then  find for an income.

Police turn a blind eye to a lot of this and get paid to do so.

If those are accurate figures for confiscation just think how much has got through.... the mind boggles!! 

Portugal has no such problems. They legalised everything. Gaols are emptying, crimes down and employments up showing that legalising drugs will see an increase in useage and social problems is an absolute furphy.?

What ever happened to coke? Or didn’t it make it to the list because it’s too posh?

69.000.000/300.000=230

 

And that's just the dudes they arrested 

 

Take off the people less than 15 and above 60 in the 69 millons Thai population that makes a MENTAL MENTAL  proportion of drug traffickers.

 

MENTAL

 

 

The buffoonery of the war on drugs a waste of human lives and money.  Education works far better than a bunch of gun toting machismos.  Also giving people a better quality life with more opportunities helps too. 

I so agree with your opinion - over several decades now I have been watching drug trade and consumption grow year after year.

 

I have also noticed that we have lost a lot of young people here over the years because of a series of circumstances - mostly lack of education because their poor families took them out of school early.

 

It is almost impossible later for them to find jobs - they meet the wrong people who seem to offer them a way out by dealing for them and soon one day they end up in prison.

 

When released they have even less choices and the vicious cycle starts again.

 

Low quality of life and no opportunities as you say drives them directly into the hands of those who offer them a way out of poverty as the rest of society and even their own families reject them.

 

Then of course I wonder if these so called “wars on drugs” are not just smoke screens put up by the rich and powerful to pretend to the naive masses they do something about it!

 

Reason I think that we are fooled into believing they want to stop the trade when they are not - just add up the numbers!

 

The money generated here is enormous! The quantities seized mentioned in the OP are just the tip of the iceberg!

 

These are billions of $ we are talking here the entire GDP of Thailand was approx. 455 billion $ in 2017.

 

This quantities which make it trough to the end consumers must be enormous considering that usually only a small percentage is seized, the money they generate - which flows back into the economy must be quite a sizable part of GDP !

There are estimates that the illegal drug trade in the area is worth between 16-17 billion US $ with the real numbers likely much higher - I am not sure if anybody is serious of stamping out the drug trade considering the money involved.

 

With tourism accounting for roughly 18-19 % of Thailand’s GDP - around 80 - 90 billion $ stamping out the drug trade in Thailand tomorrow would account as if the country would loose approx. 25 % of tourism revenue.

 

I have the suspicion that any major seizures of illegal drugs are more of a “redistribution” effort of these enormous profits than real attempts to stamp the trade out - which is useless anyway.

 

The drug trade can only stop when people stop taking them as long as there is demand there will be supply - this can only be achieved through education and by giving young people a meaning in life and opportunities.

 

 

 

 

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