Drug ring netted in Chon Buri

CHON BURI: -- Nine people, allegedly belonging to a major drug-dealing network in Chon Buri, have been arrested carrying 60,900 ya ba tablets and assets worth Bt17 million seized from them, Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhagasaid said yesterday.

Alleged network leader Dawan Yudee, 68, and her husband Chaiyaporn Sricharang, 69, were arrested along with accomplices Chalerm Chewchaona, 69, Wesarat Chewchaona, 32, Sattha Chewchaona, 33, Somsri Chewchaona, 61, Nipaporn Panprasert, 26, Boonngam Boonlert, 43, and Urai Janjaroen, 57 at a checkpoint in Nakhon Sawan's Phayuha Khiri dsitrict on Friday afternoon.

Evidence seized was 60,900 ya ba tablets and one kilogram of "ice", reportedly wrapped around the women's waists, eight mobile phones and a white van, Pirapan told a press conference yesterday.

The Thai Navy's Drug Suppression Centre had since 2006 been on the track of the network led by the couple, who opened a religious-products shop and mini-mart as a cover, said Pirapan.

The couple took accomplices in a van, one to three times per month, to Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district, where they crossed into Burma to gamble at casinos and pick up ya ba from the Wa State Army, he said. Officials also later seized the suspects' four houses, six cars, bank accounts, cash and gold ornaments worth Bt17 million in total, he added.

-- The Nation 2009-04-05

I gotta say, I'm not seeing any tears flowing from my eyes.

Sorry for my ignorance but what is ya ba?

Wow! That was some haul. We done! Now, maybe some will think twice about selling drugs when they realise what they could lose too.

yaba is crazy drug.....methamphetamine in pill form...

"The couple took accomplices in a van, one to three times per month, to Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district"

Jeez, look at their age's, could have been disguised as an OAP's day out!!

They may be older, but certainly not wiser!!!

Great so more bad boys bite the dust Wish them a long long stay in the big house.

I am not surprised that the old couple 'gambles' with their own life like that. Not much life to loose at that age.

The others had half a life ahead and lost it instantly

it looks like the old couple were the Pack Horses and not the real brains behind this..So it will seem the main gang will still carry on bringing in this filth!! Sorry to say this will not stop....

They are obviously not MAJOR drugleaders. 17 Million baht is a decent house. Four houses totalling 17 million a car and a few bankaccounts most probably mean that they arrested the drugsrunners. I have no idea what the street value is of 60,000 pills let alone a kilo of ice, but I suspect that even if you put a pill on 100 baht (which is probably significantly more) you are already talking about 6,000,000 add the ice to it and you have half the confiscated value. If they make a trip several times a month it is clear that this is small fish. The numbers look impressive but in fact are peanuts. So often you see that the big guys (with links to???) are sheltered. It is no business to make a career in anyhow as half the Thai people inform on the other half.

The couple took accomplices in a van, one to three times per month, to Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district, where they crossed into Burma to gamble at casinos and pick up ya ba from the Wa State Army, he said.

The Thai authorities should blame themselves for this situation which is a direct result of their policy of appeasing the Burmese junta to enrich themselves.

The couple took accomplices in a van, one to three times per month, to Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district, where they crossed into Burma to gamble at casinos and pick up ya ba from the Wa State Army, he said.

The Thai authorities should blame themselves for this situation which is a direct result of their policy of appeasing the Burmese junta to enrich themselves.

???? How does this make people want to run drugs or others to create the demand by using them? I think too easy for people to blame Goverments - especially Thai's. People everywhere will continue to get involved if the profits are big enough and in drugs I cannot think of anything that has a higher return. Current world economic situation will only increase the amount of people involved.

In my neighborhood down near the Pattaya airpark in Chonburi province drug sales and use is rampant...four of my immediate neighbors have been convicted of drug sales and all spent time in prison. They are all out and guess what they are doing. Yep, selling drugs. I could give a shit if someone uses drugs but yaba helps provoke strange and violent behavior...just ask the old grandmother who's grandson beat the crap out of her the other day here...he's spent the morning smoking yaba. Smoking pot seems to mellow you out, drinking alcohol makes me sleepy,other folks get violent behind it. Being high on any drug (including alcohol) is no defense...if you hurt someone while high then you need to go away...either in the steel house for a long time or from this planet.

Wow! That was some haul. We done! Now, maybe some will think twice about selling drugs when they realise what they could lose too.

Nah, always more stupid people waiting in the wings to take their place.

I agree, they're not the real 'big boys' but, suppliers to street level punters. The assets are a not much divided among those arrested, all that has happenned is that a small banch/twig gas been cut in the supply chain.

Plus, regarding 'assets' the commission taken must have been at least that again....!!!!!

Well those old folks seem to have lost their 'pension' just like a lot of folks in western countries!

The only problem is that the police will continue the operation,and the drug dealers will buy their freedom

TIT