Anti-Narcotics Board Plans Crackdown

[webfact]

Anti-narcotics board plans crackdown

The Nation

The Office of the Narcotics Control Board aims to arrest 10,000 blacklisted drug dealers in one year and get 400,000 drug addicts into rehabilitation programmes.

Presenting the policy to the board's executives yesterday, secretary-general Pol General Adul Sangsingkaew said the urgent mission was to propel forward the National Command Centre for Drugs strategy. It would include two meetings per month and formulate the action plan for three months, six months, nine months and one year.

He said the strategy aimed to get 400,000 drug addicts into rehabilitation programmes and crack down on 8,000-10,000 drug dealers on its database as well as set up a war room to maximise ICT technologies in drug investigations.

Adul urged the board to seek public participation in convincing drug addicts in neighbourhoods to attend rehab programmes and to alert authorities of suspicious activity via the hotline 1386.

Deputy Metropolitan Police Commissioner Police Maj-General Itthipol Piriyapinyo said city police were instructed to crack down on drug activities in their jurisdictions and to search night clubs which reportedly let youngsters use and buy drugs on their premises. The clubs were particularly active on Friday and Saturday nights, especially in Ratchadaphisek, RCA (Rama 9) and Thong Lor areas.

Clubs violating the law would be closed and officials or police officers involved would face serious disciplinary action, he said.

The Metropolitan Police yesterday presented two male suspects aged 30 and 42 who were arrested at a Bangkok-Chon Buri Motorway checkpoint while allegedly transporting 70,000 yaba tablets for a drug ring in Chon Buri prison. The suspects reportedly confessed to transporting drugs twice before the arrest and receiving Bt25,000 for each run. They said an inmate, identified only as Ko from Chon Buri Prison, got them the job. Assistant Police Chief Pol Lt-General Worapong Chiewpreecha said this was a follow up from the arrest of a another suspect in Pathum Thani, which uncovered 780,000 yaba tablets.

At 6am yesterday, under the "big cleaning day" campaign in prisons today and tomorrow, some 400 police and officials searched the Rayong Provincial Prison and found in the cells seven drug-taking tools and 16 sharp objects. Ten cellphones, six MP3 players, seven SIM cards, four memory cards, seven earphone sets, six yaba tablets, five packs of crystal meth were also found concealed.

It was reported that cellphones were being sold illegally in prison at Bt100,000 per piece.

-- The Nation 2011-10-05

related:

Thai Govt Claims Progress In Crackdown On Drug Trade

[moe666]

Where are they going to put 10,000 drug dealers? I guess a few can be sent back to Nigeria. Why these rediculous time lines

[rucus7]

I am not sure why people think utopia can be achieved by this. Somehow it feels like a feeble appeasement to the Thai populace. Has this method worked anywhere in the world?

[nurofiend]

Where are they going to put 10,000 drug dealers? I guess a few can be sent back to Nigeria. Why these rediculous time lines

you're assuming they'll be taken alive

[whybother]

officials or police officers involved would face serious disciplinary action

A slap on the wrist? Really serious.

[Bakseedaa]

Where are they going to put 10,000 drug dealers? I guess a few can be sent back to Nigeria. Why these rediculous time lines

you're assuming they'll be taken alive

As for those many drug dealers working their wares along Sukomvik Soi 3 - 5, easy to spot, but they are Very well protected , why do you think they can sell their drugs so openly... not too many policemen can afford brand new Mercedes Bentz, Almost as obvious as the black men selling drugs on the streets...

[thaicbr]

I love the way they have 8-10,000 drug dealers in the database rather than in prison

[BigBikeBKK]

The brown mafia are the biggest drug dealers in the country. I guess they just want to get rid of the competition?

[rossigee]

I love the way they have 8-10,000 drug dealers in the database rather than in prison

It's probably just their accounting database.

[Cnxforever]

"The Metropolitan Police yesterday presented two male suspects aged 30 and 42 who were arrested at a Bangkok-Chon Buri Motorway checkpoint while allegedly transporting 70,000 yaba tablets for a drug ring in Chon Buri prison. The suspects reportedly confessed to transporting drugs twice before the arrest and receiving Bt25,000 for each run. They said an inmate, identified only as Ko from Chon Buri Prison, got them the job. Assistant Police Chief Pol Lt-General Worapong Chiewpreecha said this was a follow up from the arrest of a another suspect in Pathum Thani, which uncovered 780,000 yaba tablets."

For how much longer we have to read idiotic news stories like this?

Nothing but publicity stunts! They never catch any other people than the mules! Why is there never any following back where the drugs came from ?? Why are there never any big time arrests of producers and their networks?

We all know why!

It's always the little guys here who are hired to transport and peddle the drugs - while the "influential" people behind it are getting rich. Drug trade here is worth hundreds of billions and the money is usually laundered right under the eyes of the authorities!

These people are destroying an entire generation by getting them addicted to mind-altering synthetic drugs which have devastating long term implications on general health, internal organs and the brain. I have seen several promising young lives destroyed by this poison - especially Ya-Ice.

I think it is long overdue to get tough on the big time producers / distributors and get a public campaign on the way to warn young people about the dangers these drugs pose. But as long as certain people and their facilitators are getting filthy rich there is no political will to take them out.

Many young people here are so naive that they think they can just "try" and get out later whenever they want. I have first hand experience with users and it breaks my heart to see once bright young people reduced to zombies just living for there next dose of the poison. The drug gives them a false sense of self-esteem and confidence, life seems beautiful , sexual encounters happen then without protection. It leaves them sleepless and without the need and want for food - after longer use devastating for the body - most breath through their stomach instead of lungs like the unfortunate malnourished children in Africa we see on TV.

Coming off the drug the depression sets in and the want for more of the poison to get back that feeling of euphoria and confidence - the vicious cycle does not end until another young life ends for the profit of the big time criminals who are often protected by those who are supposed to stop them. But if users are caught they go to prison for at least 2 years - talking about rehabilitation is nothing but a farce.

If the new government is serious about reducing the flood of drugs they need to go after the source and not give us these stupid news stories about another mule caught / sacrificed for pure publicity!

Edited October 5, 2011 by Cnxforever

[reggaebkk]

Ha... the Thaksin makes a move against the competition again...

They can't stand that their clan doesn't have the monopoly of selling yaba...

In 2003 they murdered the competition... seems it has grown back.

[sirchai]

I am not sure why people think utopia can be achieved by this. Somehow it feels like a feeble appeasement to the Thai populace. Has this method worked anywhere in the world?

"More developed" countries like Holland even gave free heroin to addicts on houseboats in Amsterdam.. What about the alcoholics then? Forgive them cause they don't know what they're doing. Guess they need dutch coffee shops here sooner or later.......

[sirchai]

Where are they going to put 10,000 drug dealers? I guess a few can be sent back to Nigeria. Why these rediculous time lines

you're assuming they'll be taken alive

As for those many drug dealers working their wares along Sukomvik Soi 3 - 5, easy to spot, but they are Very well protected , why do you think they can sell their drugs so openly... not too many policemen can afford brand new Mercedes Bentz, Almost as obvious as the black men selling drugs on the streets...

I think they're selling go carts....I remember a guy in Kao San road asking me: Wanna buy samm Gocart maan?

"Oh lord want you buy me a Mercedes Benz, my friends all drive Porsche, please give me a chance..."

Edited October 5, 2011 by sirchai

[sirchai]

Where are they going to put 10,000 drug dealers? I guess a few can be sent back to Nigeria. Why these rediculous time lines

you're assuming they'll be taken alive

What happened to the containers down in Satthaip so far?

[Arkady]

What are they going to do about the senior police, military, politicians and civil servants who are actively involved in the drug trade and without whom it would be impossible to thrive as it does? I suppose the same thing they do about the ones involved in gambling. LOL

[newermonkey]

If they have 10,000 "blacklisted" drug dealers why the f... have they not been arrested already. Are they saying there are 10,000 dealers they dont do business with? what an admission of guilt by the police!

They are saying "Black listed" and not "Suspect"

Edited October 5, 2011 by newermonkey

[ToffeEFCpower]

Meanwhile who is going to crack down on the Narcotics Control Board

[JulesMad]

I am not sure why people think utopia can be achieved by this. Somehow it feels like a feeble appeasement to the Thai populace. Has this method worked anywhere in the world?

"More developed" countries like Holland even gave free heroin to addicts on houseboats in Amsterdam.. What about the alcoholics then? Forgive them cause they don't know what they're doing. Guess they need dutch coffee shops here sooner or later.......:jap:

I am from Holland, and the main reason to supply free methadon (not heroin however!!!) is to give the junkie his/her daily fix, so they don't need to steal/rob/scam to get the money. It is not really the junkie who causes the problems, but their actions (petty crime in general) to get the money for their fix (i.e. stealing car radio's and such, breaking into houses, etc). Collateral damage is far greater than what they get...

Dutch coffee shops are very strictly regulated, as they will immediately be closed and loose their license when they find anything stronger than weed and hash on the premises (including on their customers!). There is NO alcohol at all in the coffee shops!

If Thailand ever comes to legalizing softdrugs (weed and hash), I volunteer to open a Thai chain of coffee shops along the Dutch model. I am sure it would work, and there would be a lot of customers (thai and farang alike). It is also good for the government as they can tax it, same as alcohol and tabacco (these two drugs have the most addicts, but they are legal and every government in the world is making a LOT of money on it)

Dutch Proverb: "A happy smoker is not a trouble-maker! (een tevreden roker is geen onruststoker)" :jap:

[Atoosa07]

Any police force has to give themselves a time frame and after the casino saga they want brownie points

[antsrule]

I am not sure why people think utopia can be achieved by this. Somehow it feels like a feeble appeasement to the Thai populace. Has this method worked anywhere in the world?

"More developed" countries like Holland even gave free heroin to addicts on houseboats in Amsterdam.. What about the alcoholics then? Forgive them cause they don't know what they're doing. Guess they need dutch coffee shops here sooner or later.......:jap:

I am from Holland, and the main reason to supply free methadon (not heroin however!!!) is to give the junkie his/her daily fix, so they don't need to steal/rob/scam to get the money. It is not really the junkie who causes the problems, but their actions (petty crime in general) to get the money for their fix (i.e. stealing car radio's and such, breaking into houses, etc). Collateral damage is far greater than what they get...

Dutch coffee shops are very strictly regulated, as they will immediately be closed and loose their license when they find anything stronger than weed and hash on the premises (including on their customers!). There is NO alcohol at all in the coffee shops!

If Thailand ever comes to legalizing softdrugs (weed and hash), I volunteer to open a Thai chain of coffee shops along the Dutch model. I am sure it would work, and there would be a lot of customers (thai and farang alike). It is also good for the government as they can tax it, same as alcohol and tabacco (these two drugs have the most addicts, but they are legal and every government in the world is making a LOT of money on it)

Dutch Proverb: "A happy smoker is not a trouble-maker! (een tevreden roker is geen onruststoker)" :jap:

It is great that you to try to make people reasonable about pot and hash. People have been expecting reason to win over governments for almost 50 years. Canada finally was moving slowly in that direction but then along came PM Harpo and his majority who will succeed in passing a bill that gives families who grow a few pot plants more jail time than convicted child molesters.

Good luck with your cafe's, I won't hold my breath. By definition, you cannot use logic to defeat stupidity.

[DiabloJoe]

The chinese mafia control the Thai Government......

[ROMANOBA]

The problem, as often here in Thailand, is the planned solution to the problem.Make all drugs free and they will experience a dramatic drop in drug users.Make drugs available at 7-eleven, and tax them, like for alcohol or cigarettes.For many young people the ' excitement' of illegality will be gone, and for the others, they will HAVE to go on using drugs, whatever policy the government will implement.

Where are they going to put 10,000 drug dealers? I guess a few can be sent back to Nigeria. Why these rediculous time lines

lem

[sirchai]

I am not sure why people think utopia can be achieved by this. Somehow it feels like a feeble appeasement to the Thai populace. Has this method worked anywhere in the world?

"More developed" countries like Holland even gave free heroin to addicts on houseboats in Amsterdam.. What about the alcoholics then? Forgive them cause they don't know what they're doing. Guess they need dutch coffee shops here sooner or later.......:jap:

I am from Holland, and the main reason to supply free methadon (not heroin however!!!) is to give the junkie his/her daily fix, so they don't need to steal/rob/scam to get the money. It is not really the junkie who causes the problems, but their actions (petty crime in general) to get the money for their fix (i.e. stealing car radio's and such, breaking into houses, etc). Collateral damage is far greater than what they get...

Dutch coffee shops are very strictly regulated, as they will immediately be closed and loose their license when they find anything stronger than weed and hash on the premises (including on their customers!). There is NO alcohol at all in the coffee shops!

If Thailand ever comes to legalizing softdrugs (weed and hash), I volunteer to open a Thai chain of coffee shops along the Dutch model. I am sure it would work, and there would be a lot of customers (thai and farang alike). It is also good for the government as they can tax it, same as alcohol and tabacco (these two drugs have the most addicts, but they are legal and every government in the world is making a LOT of money on it)

Dutch Proverb: "A happy smoker is not a trouble-maker! (een tevreden roker is geen onruststoker)" :jap:

I'm not from Holland, but I've seen the pilot project with my own eyes on a houseboat in Amsterdam. They gave heroin addicts their daily dose.

This was just an example what other countries are/were doing to find a way to solve problems regarding drug abuse.

Thais could learn a lot from 'more developed' countries as their policy is more than questionable.....

Edited October 6, 2011 by sirchai

[TackyToo]

What are they going to do about the senior police, military, politicians and civil servants who are actively involved in the drug trade and without whom it would be impossible to thrive as it does? I suppose the same thing they do about the ones involved in gambling. LOL

"The clubs were particularly active on Fridayand Saturday nights, especially in Ratchadaphisek, RCA (Rama 9) and Thong Lorareas."

That was the first Warning! Step two is sending out e-mails to the clubs under their protection with specific time and date schedule in change for a special security donation…

[Swiss1960]

I am not sure why people think utopia can be achieved by this. Somehow it feels like a feeble appeasement to the Thai populace. Has this method worked anywhere in the world?

"More developed" countries like Holland even gave free heroin to addicts on houseboats in Amsterdam.. What about the alcoholics then? Forgive them cause they don't know what they're doing. Guess they need dutch coffee shops here sooner or later.......:jap:

I am from Holland, and the main reason to supply free methadon (not heroin however!!!) is to give the junkie his/her daily fix, so they don't need to steal/rob/scam to get the money. It is not really the junkie who causes the problems, but their actions (petty crime in general) to get the money for their fix (i.e. stealing car radio's and such, breaking into houses, etc). Collateral damage is far greater than what they get...

Dutch Proverb: "A happy smoker is not a trouble-maker! (een tevreden roker is geen onruststoker)" :jap:

I'm not from Holland, but I've seen the pilot project with my own eyes on a houseboat in Amsterdam. They gave heroin addicts their daily dose.

This was just an example what other countries are/were doing to find a way to solve problems regarding drug abuse.

Thais could learn a lot from 'more developed' countries as their policy is more than questionable.....

First, I repeat what you already have been told: It is Methadon and not heroin they get! Same here in Switzerland. Methadon is different from heroin as it does not give a short kick but helps the addict over several hours.

Second, whether it was on a housboat or not, definitely their was a doctor present and the addict had his prescription from a doctor.

Third, by giving them the Methadon, you can take care about other sicknesses the addicts normally have (ulcers etc.), give them clean needles and get them in a much better shape. You not only take them off the streets and prevent petty thefts and other crimes, many of them here in Switzerland (around 70%) even make it back to working normal jobs.

I don't say that we shall legalize drugs, not at all, but some ideas are not too bad:

- Legalizing drugs means that you take the users out of the underground and give them safe places to take the drugs.

- Legalizing drugs means having clear stuff and less people will die or get sick, more people will stay off social security money and cause less health costs

- Legalizing drugs means the country makes money from the sales and can control to whom it gives what and how much

And most of all: Legalizing drugs means that the black market will dry out almost immediately, becaus ALL addicts can buy at "reasonable" prices from the state. All thos criminal organisations will loose their business case, as they can only sell the first shot to non-users, but none more in the future...