Four arrested after allegedly smuggling 400kg of marijuana from Northeast to Bangkok

By The Nation

 

 

Bangkok police have arrested four alleged drug couriers who managed to smuggle 400 kilograms of marijuana to the capital from the Northeast.

 

Metropolitan Police commissioner Pol Lt-General Sutthipong Wongpin held a press conference on Monday to announce the arrests and seizure of the drug haul.

 

He did not name the suspects, whom he said were about to deliver the marijuana to another courier at the car park of a market on Soi Sahakan Pramool, off Pracha Uthit road in Bangkok’s Wang Thong Lang district, on Sunday.

 

The Metropolitan Police Bureau had been monitoring the gang following an earlier arrest, Sutthipong said, adding that the suspects said they had smuggled the drug from northeastern provinces.

 

Four vehicles were used in the gang’s operations, the first to survey the roads for possible checkpoints, while the second and third vehicles were for carrying the marijuana. 

 

The last vehicle was for monitoring the situation to the rear of the convoy, the commissioner explained.

 

The Bangkok police chief said the four suspects said they had been hired for Bt100,000 per trip for smuggling the drug from the Northeast to Bangkok.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30362661

 

— The Nation 2019-01-21

I hate drugs but marijuana should be legalized it is just a plant not so dangerous as chemical drugs yaba, ice, cocaine etc 

 

I hate drugs but marijuana should be legalized it is just a plant not so dangerous as drugs such as yaba, ice, cocaine, alcohol, etc.

 

Fixed that for you.  No charge.

 

Edited January 21, 20197 yr by ramr

Free choice should be ours, not some governments.

10 hours ago, ramr said:

I hate drugs but marijuana should be legalized it is just a plant not so dangerous as drugs such as yaba, ice, cocaine, alcohol, etc.

 

Fixed that for you.  No charge.

 

Portugal has shown what happens.

https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/59eqqk/ungass-portugal-what-happened-after-decriminalization-drugs-weed-to-heroin

10 hours ago, Henrik Andersen said:

I hate drugs but marijuana should be legalized it is just a plant not so dangerous as chemical drugs yaba, ice, cocaine etc 

 

Now you're talking. Good to see that you've changed your mind.

What's the difference between importing and smuggling in Thailand?

 

Answer: Depends on who is doing the importing and whether the "tax" has been paid.

1 hour ago, wombat said:

Portugal has shown what happens.

https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/59eqqk/ungass-portugal-what-happened-after-decriminalization-drugs-weed-to-heroin

Interesting article, but a key ingredient in the success looks to be having to appear before a dissuasion panel of legal, social, and medical experts.  I suspect the whole thing falls apart without that.

 

Could Thailand source and pay enough true experts to make it work?  Or would they just stuff panels with crony "experts" and it becomes another tea money side industry?  Don't know.  The money would have to come from somewhere and this is a country with a serious tax base problem, so it seems they'd need to shift human resources from the current penal/judicial system and do some retraining.  Then again, maybe it just becomes an outsourced private/volunteer thing and maybe that would be a better outcome than leaving it in govt. hands.

 

Still, it's a hopeful idea, and not only for Thailand.

 

 

 

 

29 minutes ago, dpspike said:

What's the difference between importing and smuggling in Thailand?

 

Answer: Depends on who is doing the importing and whether the "tax" has been paid.

 

Amen.

12 hours ago, Henrik Andersen said:

I hate drugs but marijuana should be legalized it is just a plant not so dangerous as chemical drugs yaba, ice, cocaine etc 

 

It is even better then the legal drug alcohol. 

It was a joint force operation and sure the gear will be legally incinerated in spliffs far and wide????

17 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

It was a joint force operation and sure the gear will be legally incinerated in spliffs far and wide????

 

Now THAT would be a novel approach to try with law enforcement: "But officer, I was just trying to dispose of this evil, socially harmful substance as fast as possible." 

 

Photoshop an official-looking "Top Secret Government Cannabis Elimination Experimental Task Force No, Really I Mean It" card in Thai to complete the gambit.

 

Then kick back and enjoy your no-expenses-paid trip to the world-renowned Bangkok Hilton.

 

Edited January 22, 20197 yr by ramr