Police arrested a Thai man and a Taiwanese national along with heroine weighted 104 kilogram in Phuket, a senior police told a press conference Monday.

Phuket native Pongthat Pongthirasakul, 29, and Taiwanese man Kuo Tak Tsai, 42, were arrested along with the 104 kilograms of heroin on Sunday from a house in the Phuket City Home Housing Estate in Muang Phuket, said General Preowpan Damapong.

The arrest followed a tip given early August by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to Thai police that members of drug dealing gang led by Lan An Lung would bring heroin from the Golden Triangle through Thailand to distribute to Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and other countries.

The Nation

item---0-- in VDO on http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/prev...php?news_id=795

or

Over 100 kilograms of Heroin* were seized in Phuket while US Drug Enforcement Agency reported it belonged to the biggest dealer networks in the Far East.

Thai Narcotic police on Monday raided a house in the City Home project in Phuket City after it was reported to be hiding 104 kilograms of heroin. The inspection followed the Sunday night arrest of 2 suspects. They were Phuket resident Pongtat Pongtatirakul, age 29 years old and a Taiwanese national Mr. Kuo Te Tsai, 42 years old. Police found the drugs buried in a well and cemented. The two men were detained and taken to Bangkok on Monday morning for further questioning hoping to lead to the networks. The arrest was considered the biggest dealing case in Phuket, which the US Drug Enforcement Agency or DEA’s data indicates is part of the biggest drug dealer network in the Far East. The Thai Police Department has been following the gang since August after it was requested by the US DEA as the networks were transporting the drugs from the ‘Golden Triangle’ via Thailand to pass on to Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and other destinations, having members in the north, Bangkok and Phuket assisting them. If not seized, the drug was planned to be put in a fishing boat’s gas tanks, then transferred to a big boat off shore. They are reported to have done this many times.

Andaman News NBT (VHF dial) + Radio Thailand FM90.5 at 8.30am & perhaps repeats on Phuket Cable TV channel 1 at 7pm & 1am, broadcast to Phang Nga, Krabi & Phuket provinces & maybe Mazz Radio FM108 at 7pm in Phuket, Tuesday 11th November 2008 & http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/ & www.YouTube.com/AndamanNews.com Send comments to [email protected]

*not 'heroine' as the national newspaper mis-spelled!