Thai Police Announce Huge Recent Drug Hauls

[webfact]

Police announce huge recent drug hauls

By JESSADA CHANTARARAK

THE NATION

Phitsanulok Police have seized around 2,600,000 ya ba tablets and 102 kilograms of crystal meth from drug smugglers, while Prachuap Khiri Khan Police arrested an Indian man with 22 kilograms of heroin, it was announced at a press conference yesterday.

Police Region 6 chief Lt-General Ajin Chotiwong reported via video link that police obtained a search warrant after an investigation indicated smugglers would bring a large amount of narcotics over the Thai-Laotian border in Chat Trakan district.

Finding a group of suspicious men loading bags onto a Toyota Vigo pickup truck and an Isuzu D-Max pickup truck in Ban Rak Thai village, police presented themselves to carry out a search but the men jumped on the trucks and sped away.

At the scene, police seized seven bags containing 986,000 ya ba tablets, 48kg of crystal meth (known on the street as ice) and a cellphone.

Another police team later found the Toyota Vigo abandoned in a tapioca plantation four kilometres away and seized 11 bags containing 1,630,000 ya ba tablets and 54kg of ice, Ajin said.

Yesterday morning, Phitsanulok police searched other communities and seized 2,000 ya ba tablets and 2kg of ice.

As for the Prachuap Khiri Khan case, national police chief Pol-General Wichien Pojprosri announced police in the province had arrested Indian national Ammed Siyid, 29, along with 22kg of heroin worth Bt1.3 billion.

The arrest was made at Thap Sakae bus station at 00.20am yesterday following a tip-off that a foreigner was transporting drugs by bus from Bangkok to Songkhla.

The Indian reportedly confessed he was hired by a Malaysian investor to deliver the drugs to Songkhla in exchange for Bt30,000.

Police will investigate further to find and arrest his accomplices.

-- The Nation 2011-03-10

[anterian]

" the men jumped on the trucks and sped away." So pickup trucks are faster than police motorbikes?

[ib1b4]

Excellent result in capturing that much narcotics and the indian runner , shame they could not apprahent the other criminals in the vigo & the d max.

[whybother]

The police are hauling drugs everywhere all the time. Why are they starting to announce it now? Is it because everyone knows about it anyway, so why hide it any more?

[ib1b4]

" the men jumped on the trucks and sped away." So pickup trucks are faster than police motorbikes?

In country areas the police have to use their own motorcycles and are reluctant to damage them.

[MILT]

uh yea'A

" the men jumped on the trucks and sped away." So pickup trucks are faster than police motorbikes?

[dollarman]

uh yea'A

" the men jumped on the trucks and sped away." So pickup trucks are faster than police motorbikes?

probably 120cc motorbikes anyway.

[inmysights]

" the men jumped on the trucks and sped away." So pickup trucks are faster than police motorbikes?

In country areas the police have to use their own motorcycles and are reluctant to damage them.

LOL!

[norwayeagle]

" the men jumped on the trucks and sped away." So pickup trucks are faster than police motorbikes?

In country areas the police have to use their own motorcycles and are reluctant to damage them.

LOL!

"Might been a smart act letting them speed away.

After all.

[atsiii]

The article seems to indicate that the police had received advance information about the smuggling, and had obtained a search warrant. Then, upon seeing suspicious looking men, they presented "themselves"... suggesting multiple officers were on site. So... if they were expecting and planning a bust, how is it they did not have the perps surrounded (thus cutting off escape routes) before "presenting" themselves, and how is it that some officers were not in a position to pursue while others secured the contraband? It makes me wonder if the whole thing was not setup... like, "we need a big bust to look good, but we will let you get away so there's no big problems in the long run."

I'm curious... do these huge amounts of confiscated drugs get burned or otherwise destroyed by the police before they can be confirmed by independent testing?

IMO. it just sounds like the whole thing was staged...

[asiawatcher]

The article seems to indicate that the police had received advance information about the smuggling, and had obtained a search warrant. Then, upon seeing suspicious looking men, they presented "themselves"... suggesting multiple officers were on site. So... if they were expecting and planning a bust, how is it they did not have the perps surrounded (thus cutting off escape routes) before "presenting" themselves, and how is it that some officers were not in a position to pursue while others secured the contraband? It makes me wonder if the whole thing was not setup... like, "we need a big bust to look good, but we will let you get away so there's no big problems in the long run."

I'm curious... do these huge amounts of confiscated drugs get burned or otherwise destroyed by the police before they can be confirmed by independent testing?

IMO. it just sounds like the whole thing was staged...

...would have to agree. Drug busts are usually well backed up and these clowns let two pickups run away? Then they found the 'abandoned' vehicles with the goods? How did they "find" them in 'plantations' and why would these 'smugglers' leave all that behind? Nope - like the river markets in the morning, the scales are all over the ground. And what happens to the take? Does it get recycled via..... You keep the pickups, we keep the .....

[wallcracks]

The article seems to indicate that the police had received advance information about the smuggling, and had obtained a search warrant. Then, upon seeing suspicious looking men, they presented "themselves"... suggesting multiple officers were on site. So... if they were expecting and planning a bust, how is it they did not have the perps surrounded (thus cutting off escape routes) before "presenting" themselves, and how is it that some officers were not in a position to pursue while others secured the contraband? It makes me wonder if the whole thing was not setup... like, "we need a big bust to look good, but we will let you get away so there's no big problems in the long run."

I'm curious... do these huge amounts of confiscated drugs get burned or otherwise destroyed by the police before they can be confirmed by independent testing?

IMO. it just sounds like the whole thing was staged...

...would have to agree. Drug busts are usually well backed up and these clowns let two pickups run away? Then they found the 'abandoned' vehicles with the goods? How did they "find" them in 'plantations' and why would these 'smugglers' leave all that behind? Nope - like the river markets in the morning, the scales are all over the ground. And what happens to the take? Does it get recycled via..... You keep the pickups, we keep the .....

Bullshit a Bust like that is not staged maybe if it would be 50.000 Tablets and a 1-2 Kilo Ice but not that much, this is just to much money except the Drugs are Fake or from a very very low Quality

[nisakiman]

Same old same old.

Christ, when are they going to give up on this "war on drugs" and start to address the problem in a realistic way? This approach hasn't worked for the past 80 odd years, and it's not going to work now or in the future. You'd think by now that the powers-that-be would have realised and adopted a different tack. But no, still the same obdurate, ignorant mindset. Positively neanderthal.

What a waste of time and money.

And lives.

I despair...

[atsiii]

The article seems to indicate that the police had received advance information about the smuggling, and had obtained a search warrant. Then, upon seeing suspicious looking men, they presented "themselves"... suggesting multiple officers were on site. So... if they were expecting and planning a bust, how is it they did not have the perps surrounded (thus cutting off escape routes) before "presenting" themselves, and how is it that some officers were not in a position to pursue while others secured the contraband? It makes me wonder if the whole thing was not setup... like, "we need a big bust to look good, but we will let you get away so there's no big problems in the long run."

I'm curious... do these huge amounts of confiscated drugs get burned or otherwise destroyed by the police before they can be confirmed by independent testing?

IMO. it just sounds like the whole thing was staged...

...would have to agree. Drug busts are usually well backed up and these clowns let two pickups run away? Then they found the 'abandoned' vehicles with the goods? How did they "find" them in 'plantations' and why would these 'smugglers' leave all that behind? Nope - like the river markets in the morning, the scales are all over the ground. And what happens to the take? Does it get recycled via..... You keep the pickups, we keep the .....

Bullshit a Bust like that is not staged maybe if it would be 50.000 Tablets and a 1-2 Kilo Ice but not that much, this is just to much money except the Drugs are Fake or from a very very low Quality

I agree... that's why I wondered out loud if the drugs are tested enmass before being destroyed. This has happened elsewhere when police are given incentives to "crack down." Huge busts are made, a small amount of the "real stuff" is tested, then all the placeabo tablets and white powder are destroyed for the benefit of TV. No arrests are made... cops get a slap on the back... and life goes on as normal.

[bitterbatter]

This article is confusing. I don't think the Indian was on the border, he was in Pitsanluk. He clearly was duped. 30k for transporting 22kg. of Heroin? No wonder he had to take the bus, probably didn't even go VIP.

What happens to the drugs? Some gets destroyed. Some ends up being resold back on the streets. It makes sense, that way they can make money on the side, and always have a fresh list of people to bust from the inside.

[Panhandler007]

first yaba, now CRYSTAL METH is making the rounds! This is gonna mess up thailand in a very nasty way!!