Thailand To Burn Illegal Drugs Worth 2.5 Billion Baht

[webfact]

FDA to burn illegal drugs worth Bt2.5 bln

BANGKOK, Sept 16 – More than 800kg of illicit drugs, seized in over 130,000 cases, will be burnt at the Bang Pa-in industrial estate in Ayutthaya on Saturday, according to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Secretary-General Dr Pipat Yingseri.

The authorities staging this 40th ceremonial incineration of illegal substances gathered drugs seized in relation to 133,221 police cases valued at Bt2.45 billion.

With a total weight of 821kg, over 75 per cent -- some 634kg -- were methamphetamines worth Bt2.1 billion. The rest included 124kg of heroin (Bt311 million), 4.6kg of marijuana (Bt23,000) and 41kg of opium (Bt1 million).

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinwatra will preside at the incineration on Saturday.

Dr Pipat said additional funds will be sought to enlarge the warehouse to store illegal substances pending the carrying out of the legal process.

The current storage capacity will be insufficient if the government crackdown on illicit drug is stepped up. He said it can take over five years to finish some cases in court.

The government recently launched a campaign against narcotics.

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung on Thursday promised that the campaign will follow the rule of law and that any operations by law-enforcing officials will not be against the law.

Mr Chalerm gave assurances in response to concern expressed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Centre for the East Asia and the Pacific which feared that the Yingluck government's anti-drug campaign might lead to human rights violations or to extra-judicial killings by the police.

The UNODC reservations expressed referred to the war on drugs initiated between 2003-2004 by then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, elder brother of current prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, a campaign which led to the deaths of more than 2,500 people.

Mr Thaksin's war against drugs drew heavy criticism from human rights groups at home and abroad. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2011-09-16

[Bakseedaa]

Which way will the wind be blowing come Saturday..?

[Boater]

Which way will the wind be blowing come Saturday..?

so what happened to all the Ganja from the 130K Cases? ,

[wana]

there seems to be a awful lot of weed missing from this equasion

[TheWalkingMan]

4.6kg of ganja? That seems really small.

[surangw]

there seems to be a awful lot of weed missing from this equasion

it was sent out for "testing"

[ralphlsasser]

The 800kg of drugs is AFTER the "boys" get there share. They burn what's left.

[alexth]

What they want to mean is that they'll burn 20% drugs and the rest is gonna be a lot of salt, baby powder and maybe some Tylenol tablets and then move to the celebration of the drugs they re-sold to other dealers. Must really pay off being a narcotics officer in LoS...

[thequietman]

4.6kg of ganja? That seems really small.

For the 2008 year the leaked embassy cable claims 84 case investigations were conducted resulting in 1,150 arrests and that almost eight tons (8.8 US tons) of marijuana, 800kg (1,763lb) of methamphetamine, several hundred kilograms of heroin and large amounts of precursor chemicals were seized, with a total value of $13.7 million.”

Read more: Leaked cable shows USA influencing Thai law & justice system for 60 years | photo-journ's newsblog by John Le Fevre http://photo-journ.com/2011/leaked-cable-shows-usa-influencing-thai-law-justice-system-for-60-years#ixzz1YAvBGkxq

8.8 tonnes of marijuana seized in 2008.

i dont remember them burning that. if they did the country would be high for at least a week.

[Thaddeus]

Which way will the wind be blowing come Saturday..?

so what happened to all the Ganja from the 130K Cases? ,

Don't worry Boats, it's still going to be burnt ..... one joint at a time.

[bangkockney]

133,221 cases and less than a tonne in product. Doesn't add up.

[Nisa]

133,221 cases and less than a tonne in product. Doesn't add up.

How much does a couple yaba tablet weigh or couple joints? I'm not saying this report is credible but I would suspect these cases are small possession/sales cases and not any traffickers where they would tend to keep the evidence for a long period because of all the appeals and extreme sentences. My guess is this was almost all from small time people who plead guilty and there was no reason to keep the evidence.

[ginjag]

133,221 cases and less than a tonne in product. Doesn't add up.

How much does a couple yaba tablet weigh or couple joints? I'm not saying this report is credible but I would suspect these cases are small possession/sales cases and not any traffickers where they would tend to keep the evidence for a long period because of all the appeals and extreme sentences. My guess is this was almost all from small time people who plead guilty and there was no reason to keep the evidence.

They can't bust the big wigs, for fear of being placed into inactive posts.

[jeanelie]

Smoke on the water.

[geezer553]

does that mean my thai police friend will no longer be able 2 supply me!!!! 555

thailand is so corrupt it makes president mugabi look like a saint.......

[bushman1666]

Which way will the wind be blowing come Saturday..?

so what happened to all the Ganja from the 130K Cases? ,

Don't worry Boats, it's still going to be burnt ..... one joint at a time.

Hahahahahaha :cheesy:

[TAWP]

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinwatra will preside at the incineration on Saturday.

Downwind?

[AdamRich]

"Dr Pipat said additional funds will be sought to enlarge the warehouse to store illegal substances pending the carrying out of the legal process. The current storage capacity will be insufficient if the government crackdown on illicit drug is stepped up."

If this is the case wouldn't it make more sense to sell the drugs instead of burning them?

Edited September 18, 2011 by AdamRich

[bangkokbruce]

there seems to be a awful lot of weed missing from this equasion

it was sent out for "testing"

The other 8200 kilo's were sent to my house for testing, I'll let you know the results by the next burn.

[Nisa]

there seems to be a awful lot of weed missing from this equasion

it was sent out for "testing"

The other 8200 kilo's were sent to my house for testing, I'll let you know the results by the next burn.

PM me if you need any second opinions

[sfbandung]

"this 40th ceremonial incineration of illegal substances"

Ceremonial? Will the monks be there?

[Thaddeus]

"this 40th ceremonial incineration of illegal substances"

Ceremonial? Will the monks be there?

Of course, they organise the card game.

[sfbandung]

"this 40th ceremonial incineration of illegal substances"

Ceremonial? Will the monks be there?

Of course, they organise the card game.

Of course. So it will be like songkran, without the water of course. Can't have someone raining on the "ceremonial incineration".

Aah, only in Thailand.

[djlest]

i wonder what damage that will have on the air we breath

They could have put it in the water instead during elections - or maybe they did that already...

[TAWP]

"Dr Pipat said additional funds will be sought to enlarge the warehouse to store illegal substances pending the carrying out of the legal process. The current storage capacity will be insufficient if the government crackdown on illicit drug is stepped up."

If this is the case wouldn't it make more sense to sell the drugs instead of burning them?

They are, but police pockets it - the government gets nothing.

[connor6063]

OOOOOH really? Where is this? I shall be near =D