Foreign Drug Dealers Are Targeting Thailand

[webfact]

Customs warn of new flood of imported drugs

By The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Drug dealers from at least six parts of the world are targeting Thai customers, aiming at revellers in Bangkok's night entertainment venues, deputy Customs Department director-general Narin Kalayamitr said yesterday.

He said Iranian pushers usually smuggle in "ice flakes", while Pakistanis are frequently associated with heroin, Filipinos and Africans with cocaine, Indians with ketamines and Nepalese with marijuana.

Narin said more drugs from Iran were expected to be smuggled into Thailand soon, and that police and customs agents were monitoring future drug trafficking by foreign narcotics rackets.

Narin was speaking after customs agents had arrested four Iranian men for allegedly smuggling into Thailand ice flakes, worth Bt6 million in street value, by swallowing and concealing the drug in their stomachs.

The four suspects boarded two different flights arriving at Suvarnabhumi airport on Monday and yesterday morning respectively, when they were arrested by customs agents who claim to have found the drugs in their possession, in both their stomachs and luggage.

Agents said Hurizad Bahram, 26, and Taheri Hamid, 27, who arrived in Thailand on Monday, each had two bags of ice in their bodies, weighing in total 81 grams.

Mohammad Abdi, 27, and Behnam Davapanah, 24, were arrested yesterday morning, after 1.4 kg of ice was found in Behnam's luggage, and Abdi was allegedly trying to swallow a plastic bag containing 250 grams of ice in a toilet.

Narin said customs officials also seized a large number of smuggled goods worth around Bt38 million at border checkpoints around the country. Among the contraband items were an Ipad, computer notebooks, pornographic material and fake cosmetics.

Police in Phuket arrested six Thais, including three women, and seized 17 bags of ice flakes weighing 21.8 grams and 90 amphetamine tablets allegedly in their possession.

Alleged ring leader Somchai Thongthaengyai, 38, was released from prison recently for drug dealing, but agents said he resumed the illicit business buying drugs from Kittichai Praphanphoj, 30, who distributed them for resale to four other suspects.

-- The Nation 2010-08-04

[LivinLOS]

Too right !! Dont these people know drug dealing is a restricted profession for Thais only (especially police).

[pepi2005]

Everyone knows that the majority of drugs is smuggled in by Thai girls who either do it out of 'love' for their black/Iranian/... boyfriends and for hard cash as well.

I am surprised that the police either doesn't know that or doesn't admit to know it.

Oh yeah - of course it wouldn't sound that good for the fellow Thais to hear it.

[marvinberry]

Touchy subject - but look around Sukhumvit Soi 3 to 5 on any night after 9pm and Africans men are becoming more and more aggressive in their "sales technique". It's barely even Thai around there anymore. Don't call me racist. I'm making a statement of fact.

[Skytrain2hell]

Great...the PC brigade is spreading.

[Padrino]

Took a short cut from Payathai to Pratunam via the Payathai train tracks the other day. There is a desperately poor community living next to the tracks, quite literally like the poorest I have seen in Thailand. Yet amidst the daily comings and goings of the people were a number of African men. Two were sitting down at a table eating rice with little clothes on, another two were perched on a rubbish tip and shouted at me "hey, yo, wassup" aggressively as I walked through...I felt like I was in Brixton (London)- I hollered back in my best gruff Cockney voice " yea, you kool bruv"...Then another guy walked around the corner with a big gold watch draping from his arm speaking loudly on a mobile phone. Now before the PC brigade go mental I am not at all racist, but clearly this was odd that these guys were living amongst one of the poorest communities in Bangkok on a railway line. I left baffled as to what they were doing there. If they can only afford to stay there then surely they don't have legit visas, right? And it is rather odd that the Thais of that small community were accommodating them....I hate to jump to conclusions for fear of stereotyping but can only think that this was a good place to stay out of the way of the police, perhaps they are paying the community to let them stay there incognito. Or perhaps the police said stay there and out of sight and give us a cut of your dealings...thoughts?

[Dukeleto]

Took a short cut from Payathai to Pratunam via the Payathai train tracks the other day. There is a desperately poor community living next to the tracks, quite literally like the poorest I have seen in Thailand. Yet amidst the daily comings and goings of the people were a number of African men. Two were sitting down at a table eating rice with little clothes on, another two were perched on a rubbish tip and shouted at me "hey, yo, wassup" aggressively as I walked through...I felt like I was in Brixton (London)- I hollered back in my best gruff Cockney voice " yea, you kool bruv"...Then another guy walked around the corner with a big gold watch draping from his arm speaking loudly on a mobile phone. Now before the PC brigade go mental I am not at all racist, but clearly this was odd that these guys were living amongst one of the poorest communities in Bangkok on a railway line. I left baffled as to what they were doing there. If they can only afford to stay there then surely they don't have legit visas, right? And it is rather odd that the Thais of that small community were accommodating them....I hate to jump to conclusions for fear of stereotyping but can only think that this was a good place to stay out of the way of the police, perhaps they are paying the community to let them stay there incognito. Or perhaps the police said stay there and out of sight and give us a cut of your dealings...thoughts?

If it don't look right it usually is not. Agreed, it certainly does smell fishy, but the possible scenarios are too endless to discuss.

[Rimmer]

One off topic post and two quoted replies deleted

[Jiu-Jitsu]

Took a short cut from Payathai to Pratunam via the Payathai train tracks the other day. There is a desperately poor community living next to the tracks, quite literally like the poorest I have seen in Thailand. Yet amidst the daily comings and goings of the people were a number of African men. Two were sitting down at a table eating rice with little clothes on, another two were perched on a rubbish tip and shouted at me "hey, yo, wassup" aggressively as I walked through...I felt like I was in Brixton (London)- I hollered back in my best gruff Cockney voice " yea, you kool bruv"...Then another guy walked around the corner with a big gold watch draping from his arm speaking loudly on a mobile phone. Now before the PC brigade go mental I am not at all racist, but clearly this was odd that these guys were living amongst one of the poorest communities in Bangkok on a railway line. I left baffled as to what they were doing there. If they can only afford to stay there then surely they don't have legit visas, right? And it is rather odd that the Thais of that small community were accommodating them....I hate to jump to conclusions for fear of stereotyping but can only think that this was a good place to stay out of the way of the police, perhaps they are paying the community to let them stay there incognito. Or perhaps the police said stay there and out of sight and give us a cut of your dealings...thoughts?

Your thinking appears to be nonsensical. Perhaps they don't find it easy to secure rented accommodation in other areas. Wasn't it much like that in Britain forty years ago? That people would be denied accommodaion because of the colour of their skin? Also in the USA?

[kpmsprtd]

Good news! There is a simple solution to this drug problem. We can legalize all drugs and then regulate them in the same way we do other drugs such as alcohol and tobacco. By doing this, we remove the profit motive so that the smugglers, dealers, and street sellers will all have to find other forms of employment. The savings on law enforcement costs will enable proper treatment for those with drug abuse issues--with loads of money left over.

Don't believe me, though. I'm just a guy on the Internet. See what the LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) experts have to say about it. These are former drug warriors who understand that Drug Prohibition is the cause of the problem and NOT the solution.

[Ricardo]

Drugs being smuggled into Thailand, can I be the only one here, who views that as slightly "coals to Newcastle" ? Thinking of the Golden-Triangle's fairly-recent history ?

Whatever, good luck to the Thai Customs officers.

[witsawakorn]

Took a short cut from Payathai to Pratunam via the Payathai train tracks the other day. There is a desperately poor community living next to the tracks, quite literally like the poorest I have seen in Thailand. Yet amidst the daily comings and goings of the people were a number of African men. Two were sitting down at a table eating rice with little clothes on, another two were perched on a rubbish tip and shouted at me "hey, yo, wassup" aggressively as I walked through...I felt like I was in Brixton (London)- I hollered back in my best gruff Cockney voice " yea, you kool bruv"...Then another guy walked around the corner with a big gold watch draping from his arm speaking loudly on a mobile phone. Now before the PC brigade go mental I am not at all racist, but clearly this was odd that these guys were living amongst one of the poorest communities in Bangkok on a railway line. I left baffled as to what they were doing there. If they can only afford to stay there then surely they don't have legit visas, right? And it is rather odd that the Thais of that small community were accommodating them....I hate to jump to conclusions for fear of stereotyping but can only think that this was a good place to stay out of the way of the police, perhaps they are paying the community to let them stay there incognito. Or perhaps the police said stay there and out of sight and give us a cut of your dealings...thoughts?

If it don't look right it usually is not. Agreed, it certainly does smell fishy, but the possible scenarios are too endless to discuss.

Agree with your comment and would add that I don't understand the comparison with Brixton

[hawker9000]

Cartels (or other suppliers) seeking to aggressively expand their drug trade into Thailand, and a national police that depend on "outside compensation" as a piece of their regular income, are a bad combination...

[ableguy]

Took a short cut from Payathai to Pratunam via the Payathai train tracks the other day. There is a desperately poor community living next to the tracks, quite literally like the poorest I have seen in Thailand. Yet amidst the daily comings and goings of the people were a number of African men. Two were sitting down at a table eating rice with little clothes on, another two were perched on a rubbish tip and shouted at me "hey, yo, wassup" aggressively as I walked through...I felt like I was in Brixton (London)- I hollered back in my best gruff Cockney voice " yea, you kool bruv"...Then another guy walked around the corner with a big gold watch draping from his arm speaking loudly on a mobile phone. Now before the PC brigade go mental I am not at all racist, but clearly this was odd that these guys were living amongst one of the poorest communities in Bangkok on a railway line. I left baffled as to what they were doing there. If they can only afford to stay there then surely they don't have legit visas, right? And it is rather odd that the Thais of that small community were accommodating them....I hate to jump to conclusions for fear of stereotyping but can only think that this was a good place to stay out of the way of the police, perhaps they are paying the community to let them stay there incognito. Or perhaps the police said stay there and out of sight and give us a cut of your dealings...thoughts?

Your thinking appears to be nonsensical. Perhaps they don't find it easy to secure rented accommodation in other areas. Wasn't it much like that in Britain forty years ago? That people would be denied accommodaion because of the colour of their skin? Also in the USA?

What a stupid response I think you have your head up your butt.

[Humphrey Bear]

Your thinking appears to be nonsensical. Perhaps they don't find it easy to secure rented accommodation in other areas. Wasn't it much like that in Britain forty years ago? That people would be denied accommodaion because of the colour of their skin? Also in the USA?

No, it wasn't like that in UK forty years ago (1970) - or fifty, or sixty years ago.

Small factions of politically motiviated idiots have been trying to raise racist feelings in Britain since the nineteen thirties (Oswald Mosley, for instance).

The only place where there has been continuous racist prejudice is in Northern Ireland, with offshoots into Glasgow. There have been sporadic bouts of racist demonstrations, fomented by the BNP and similar, in areas of large immigration, but these are soon stamped out and are not supported by the majority of the population.

There is an immigration problem in the UK, but why is that? Because basically the immigrants are accepted in britain, while French and other governments spurn them.

I can't speak for the US, my trips there have been basically for business, thus meeting with the better-off, educated social groups, of whatever race and creed.

[blanco]

You are a fuc_king jackass, sorry to say, Whites or Thai, are not the only people qualified to travel around

i would be suspicious of anybody who is not white or Thai

not to be racist, but this is Thailand

He's not being a jackass. Who gives you the right to throw insults at him? Anyone can be suspicious of anyone - for any reason. You don't belong on this forum you idiot.

[Lumumba]

Took a short cut from Payathai to Pratunam via the Payathai train tracks the other day. There is a desperately poor community living next to the tracks, quite literally like the poorest I have seen in Thailand. Yet amidst the daily comings and goings of the people were a number of African men. Two were sitting down at a table eating rice with little clothes on, another two were perched on a rubbish tip and shouted at me "hey, yo, wassup" aggressively as I walked through...I felt like I was in Brixton (London)- I hollered back in my best gruff Cockney voice " yea, you kool bruv"...Then another guy walked around the corner with a big gold watch draping from his arm speaking loudly on a mobile phone. Now before the PC brigade go mental I am not at all racist, but clearly this was odd that these guys were living amongst one of the poorest communities in Bangkok on a railway line. I left baffled as to what they were doing there. If they can only afford to stay there then surely they don't have legit visas, right? And it is rather odd that the Thais of that small community were accommodating them....I hate to jump to conclusions for fear of stereotyping but can only think that this was a good place to stay out of the way of the police, perhaps they are paying the community to let them stay there incognito. Or perhaps the police said stay there and out of sight and give us a cut of your dealings...thoughts?

Your thinking appears to be nonsensical. Perhaps they don't find it easy to secure rented accommodation in other areas. Wasn't it much like that in Britain forty years ago? That people would be denied accommodaion because of the colour of their skin? Also in the USA?

I am black , I read the papers and see the news in Thailand. Been here 11 years, its totally unreasonable to defend the actions of some of the colored folks in the kingdom.

Yes, some are not the best folks you would like let into your homes and neighborhoods, but still these does not and will never constitute the majority of blacks that enter the kingdom.

I have seen the group that hang out near the tracks that was mentioned above, the area in question is under the new Makkasan airport rail link stop.Now the first time I saw them sitting around and having beers by the tracks, I was not too happy, so I asked around. Seeing them from the tracks sends a wrong picture to an outsider from the area.On that side of the tracks behind the shacks are budget hotels and apartments which serves the huge market of Pratunam. They actually are not out of their way, they just like the cheap shops and the local feel, they are 95% Ghananians. They are seen by the locals as harmless and do not pose any threat to anyone, or sell anything illegal from there.

The area in question is supervised by at least 4 different police departments, not counting the Immigration. The Phayathai police station is right by the corner, and 2 out of every Thai male you encounter in the area are in law enforcement and the rest are very tough Thais you would not like to cross.

You would not think that the Baiyoke hotel management would let them hang out there most evenings if they are a nuisance to them?

If you see them next time, just look across the tracks there are always a bunch of Thais sitting around a table, you could simply walk across the space and then tell me if that is not one of the most policed area of Bangkok.

The drug gang left Pratunam about 7 years ago.

I can smell or tell a lowlife from 100 meters irrespective of the color, height or haircut style, and I know in Thailand it covers a wide range of races.

I had a bash at a good hotel here once, the security caught someone smoking weed under the stairways, he is white, and nothing happened. Like Dave Chappelle told of his white friend that went to ask a cop for directions because he was too high to know where he was.

[backsoon]

You are a fuc_king jackass, sorry to say, Whites or Thai, are not the only people qualified to travel around

i would be suspicious of anybody who is not white or Thai

not to be racist, but this is Thailand

u said the word 'qualified' (and "jackass") not me

i'm American. i'm suspicious of everybody.

even YOU

and to Edgar - check my history.

I am also an American and am not suspicious of everybody. You sound like a frigging inbred moron in a backwoods bar and I hope that your response is not taken by other people reading this forum to be representative of American mentality.

Beauty! Two americans at loggerhead! Good show!

Please explain, what's 'American Mentality' ? Is it that empty space between the ears filled with latest news? Or is it 'My granny told me' cast in bronze?

[Rimmer]

Racist comment posts and quoted replies deleted. Please note the topic is:

Foreign Drug Dealers Are Targeting Thailand

[Sailfish1]

Give these drug smugglers and dealers the DEATH PENALTY - If these idiots think their life is worth the crime, so be it!

[pattayabuggy]

Several posts regarding PC. I have no objection to political correctess as long as it's not denying truths, statements such as "Islam is the religion of peace" get's up my nose.

I agree that prohibition of drugs is the biggest problem, not the drugs themselves. The same applies to law enforcement in Thailand, the biggest criminals being the so called police. It's high time they were got rid of. I doubt that would be easily possible, but having a proper police force would improve Thailand no end. I wish!

[JoeCard]

Took a short cut from Payathai to Pratunam via the Payathai train tracks the other day. There is a desperately poor community living next to the tracks, quite literally like the poorest I have seen in Thailand. Yet amidst the daily comings and goings of the people were a number of African men. Two were sitting down at a table eating rice with little clothes on, another two were perched on a rubbish tip and shouted at me "hey, yo, wassup" aggressively as I walked through...I felt like I was in Brixton (London)- I hollered back in my best gruff Cockney voice " yea, you kool bruv"...Then another guy walked around the corner with a big gold watch draping from his arm speaking loudly on a mobile phone. Now before the PC brigade go mental I am not at all racist, but clearly this was odd that these guys were living amongst one of the poorest communities in Bangkok on a railway line. I left baffled as to what they were doing there. If they can only afford to stay there then surely they don't have legit visas, right? And it is rather odd that the Thais of that small community were accommodating them....I hate to jump to conclusions for fear of stereotyping but can only think that this was a good place to stay out of the way of the police, perhaps they are paying the community to let them stay there incognito. Or perhaps the police said stay there and out of sight and give us a cut of your dealings...thoughts?

If it don't look right it usually is not. Agreed, it certainly does smell fishy, but the possible scenarios are too endless to discuss.

Agree with your comment and would add that I don't understand the comparison with Brixton

You must be kidding, Brixton fits the bill perfectly... I recall the same film one evening walking through Brixton.

Take a walk on the wild side and open your eyes, you will see what is hard to believe.

[denishuahin]

Two years ago i bought my 44 year old son over here from England he had been a drug addict 25 years rehab over 10 times. The first night he arrived we stay in Bangkok Soi 4 he found yaba within 2 hours. I gave him a choice the next day back to the airport and maybe die in the U.K within 2 or 3 years or go for a cure at the very happy and secure The Thamkrabok Monastery near Lop buri he was in there 2 months. Now he has been teaching english for 18 months drug free, but still suffers the effects and damage it done to his life.

So my answer to drug dealers / smugglers is death if caught in possession. Look at the arrival tunnel posters in Malaysian Airports.

Edited August 4, 2010 by denishuahin

[ukfool]

Too right !! Dont these people know drug dealing is a restricted profession for Thais only (especially police).

Yes, Funny how those arrested, and the ringleader were Thai and not 'Foreigners' what a bloody racist country !

[Mitker]

Good news! There is a simple solution to this drug problem. We can legalize all drugs and then regulate them in the same way we do other drugs such as alcohol and tobacco. By doing this, we remove the profit motive so that the smugglers, dealers, and street sellers will all have to find other forms of employment.

I do believe that too. This business is totally demand-based.

But in the long term, the question remain: what will these people do after this activity is not lucrative anymore? I don't think they would get back to acceptable occupations. I think they will simply shift to any other lucrative business, human trafficking, arms dealing... ready to recruit them. And they can be just as deadly.

A global approach seems necessary.

[TheBarbarian]

Give the market free. The criminality will drop significantly. The Thai government has no problem with giving their citizens, notably women cancer either with their new cigarettes straight from the Tobacco monopoly. There seems worldwide no problems either to poison people with alcohol or with drugs from major pharma co's.<div>If people like to kill themselves or ruin their lives, just let them, at least they do not ruin other peoples lives by mocking them or robbing them.</div>

[Rimmer]

One post discussing moderation deleted

[snamos]

They should have known better and applied for a work permit. Or is that a job available to Thais only?

[Ayutthaya69]

Too right !! Dont these people know drug dealing is a restricted profession for Thais only (especially police).

so all people from Africa Pakistan and iran need to pass XRay to many drogues come from those country in Thailand

[zthyadat]

Took a short cut from Payathai to Pratunam via the Payathai train tracks the other day. There is a desperately poor community living next to the tracks, quite literally like the poorest I have seen in Thailand. Yet amidst the daily comings and goings of the people were a number of African men. Two were sitting down at a table eating rice with little clothes on, another two were perched on a rubbish tip and shouted at me "hey, yo, wassup" aggressively as I walked through...I felt like I was in Brixton (London)- I hollered back in my best gruff Cockney voice " yea, you kool bruv"...Then another guy walked around the corner with a big gold watch draping from his arm speaking loudly on a mobile phone. Now before the PC brigade go mental I am not at all racist, but clearly this was odd that these guys were living amongst one of the poorest communities in Bangkok on a railway line. I left baffled as to what they were doing there. If they can only afford to stay there then surely they don't have legit visas, right? And it is rather odd that the Thais of that small community were accommodating them....I hate to jump to conclusions for fear of stereotyping but can only think that this was a good place to stay out of the way of the police, perhaps they are paying the community to let them stay there incognito. Or perhaps the police said stay there and out of sight and give us a cut of your dealings...thoughts?

Your thinking appears to be nonsensical. Perhaps they don't find it easy to secure rented accommodation in other areas. Wasn't it much like that in Britain forty years ago? That people would be denied accommodaion because of the colour of their skin? Also in the USA?

Who is being nonsensical? There is plenty of accommodation for Africans in Bangkok - entire buildings devoted to it in fact. Check out Sukhumvit 93. Yes, there are some buildings that refuse them. But... No, these guys described here didn't end up living by the tracks because of a housing shortage for people of colour. There is another layer or two to the story.