Crackdown On Drug Trafficking During Songkran

[Jai Dee]

NCCC arrested almost 30,000 drug dealers and will beef up during Songkran

The National Counter Corruption Commission, or the NCCC, is geared up to suppress drug trafficking during this year’s Songkran Festival from April 9th to 17th.

NCCC Secretary-General Kitti Limchaikit says the Nation Command Center for Drugs (NCCD) had a meeting to evaluate its operation in the last three months. The meeting also discussed the measures to prevent drug trafficking during the upcoming Songkran Festival. Mr. Kitti says many people usually travel during the holidays, and the drug dealers may use this opportunity to transport narcotics. He says checkpoints and relevant units, particularly the ones in the border areas, will be reinforced during the holidays.

From December 1st 2006 to February 28th 2007, officials were able to arrest 28,778 drug dealers. 2,594,391 amphetamine pills, 25.25 kilograms of heroine, and 1,968 kilograms of marihuana were confiscated. The total cost was more than 87 million baht.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 16 March 2007

[John K]

30,000 is nearly 5% of Thailand's population.

[Prakanong]

30,000 is nearly 5% of Thailand's population.

Are you sure your maths is correct ;-))

3 million is 5% if we use a nominal figure of 60 million

[Tony Clifton]

30, 000 drug dealers arrested in 3 months?

[leisurely]

Why the big crackdown during Songkran? Why not all the time?

[Old Man River]

Hopefully they do better on this than their normal Songkran crackdown on drunk drivers. What a joke that is.

[John K]

30,000 is nearly 5% of Thailand's population.

Are you sure your maths is correct ;-))

3 million is 5% if we use a nominal figure of 60 million

ug brain fart sorry

[Prakanong]

30,000 is nearly 5% of Thailand's population.

Are you sure your maths is correct ;-))

3 million is 5% if we use a nominal figure of 60 million

ug brain fart sorry

I have them all the time!

[isaanbrit]

Oh great - more people to rot in Jail for trying to support their families by selling a little bit of pot.

[toybits]

What I hear is that 80% of inmates in Chiang Rai penitentiary is there for drug-related incidents... Can somebody confirm?

Oh great - more people to rot in Jail for trying to support their families by selling a little bit of pot.

[alexth]

30, 000 drug dealers arrested in 3 months?

Maybe there was a national congress for drug dealers and they managed to get some fishing nets and get them all

[johnh101]

Oh great - more people to rot in Jail for trying to support their families by selling a little bit of pot.

Sorry I cannot agree with you.

Ya Baa and Ice are most definately not "a little bit of pot". Pot is only a very minor part of the drug problems in Thailand.

[andook]

Why the big crackdown during Songkran? Why not all the time?

You have to be on mind-altering substances to enjoy having talc and ice water thrown in your face, maybe?

Got my stash sorted already.

[Tony Clifton]

Oh great - more people to rot in Jail for trying to support their families by selling a little bit of pot.

Sorry I cannot agree with you.

Ya Baa and Ice are most definately not "a little bit of pot". Pot is only a very minor part of the drug problems in Thailand.

Where in the world is pot really a problem... Until authorities include it in their list of dangerous drugs to increase yearly budgets.

Hard drugs and booze alone cause way more damage to the human body, mind and property.

Back to the numbers in these articles, that would be 300 arrests a day for 3 months, if indeed these numbers are correct, which I doubt.

Edited March 17, 2007 by Tony Clifton

[John K]

I have to agree 30,000 is a huge number, that would fill the biggest of arenas and is the population of a fair size town in the states. So the question is where are they holding them?

[atlastaname]

Oh great - more people to rot in Jail for trying to support their families by selling a little bit of pot.

Whilst i don't completely agree with the above post , it does actually reflect the reality somewhat. Education should be the way forward ...educate people about the dangers of drugs and if they choose to ignore them , then let them get on with it . Why have constant crackdowns on a battle the authorities can not win? ....anyone ?

[Johpa]

I have to agree 30,000 is a huge number, ......

Far more remarkable is not a single one of those 30,000 are anything more than low level street dealers and hard luck users. The financiers in Bangkok are still smiling over their successful strategic switchover from heroin to meth and it certainly pays for daughters tuition at Vasser.

[peter991]

When you consider how Thais help the police by admitting their guilt - or so it seems ... all the Mr Bigs should be locked up by now ... by those at the bottom of the chain dobbing in their supplier in the hope of getting a lesser sentence and so on UP the chain.

Peter