Suvarnabhumi A Major Channel For Smuggled Pseudoephedrine Pills: Police

[Lite Beer]

Suvarnabhumi a major channel for smuggled pseudoephedrine pills: police

Thanatpong Khongsai,

Ekkapong Praditpong

The Nation on Sunday

BANGKOK:-- The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) yesterday revealed that about 83 per cent of the smuggling of cold medicine with pseudoephedrine happened through Suvarnabhumi Airport, while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering ending imports of the cold medicine after one year.

DSI chief Tharit Pengdit spoke yesterday at a seminar on the matter by the Thai Journalists Association and the Isara Institute Thai Press Development Foundation. He said the DSI investigation found that about 17 per cent of the pseudoephedrine medicine was siphoned off the public health system while the rest 83 per cent was smuggled through Suvarnabhumi Airport as well as the southern border. Hence the authorities must tackle such smuggling channels besides acting against those siphoning off the medicine from hospitals.

He said the smuggling of pseudoephedrine medicine was because many countries did not strictly control it. People carried the medicine as if they were a cosmetic or extracted ginseng, and one bag could carry tens of thousands of tablets.

As for the Public Health Ministry's key information including names of involved officials up to the rank of former minister, Tharit said DSI suspected they might be involved in the medicine rationing and sending them for narcotics production. Or, they might gain in the form of commission or special returns. He urged those involved in the wrongdoing to give information to DSI as case witness.

Another speaker, FDA narcotics control division chief Prapon Angtrakul, said the Public Health Ministry and his office had discussed with related field doctors and initially agreed that pseudoephedrine medicine was no longer needed in Thailand. Hence, the FDA would allow the current stocks of the medicine to be distributed for one year, while the rest would be destroyed. He added that it wouldn't be imported in future. Phenylephrine medicine, which was more complicated and could cause an explosion if turned into narcotics, would be used instead, he added.

Prapon said two countries exported pseudoephedrine medicine. About 85 per cent of the medicine was smuggled into Thailand from one country while about 3 million to 4 million tablets were smuggled in from a country that has a border with Thailand.

The Thai FDA had already contacted the two countries' FDA offices because some Thai companies had ordered the medicine from suppliers there, he added.

The proposal to list pseudoephedrine medicine on the Psychotropic Substance Schedule 2 (only hospitals can purchase directly from FDA) would be signed by Public Health Minister Wittaya Buranasiri tomorrow for announcement in the Royal Gazette, he added.

An adviser to the Public Health Minister, Pasit Sakdanarong, said that the ministry's initial probe found that there was nothing wrong with the public health system but the people who operated the system did wrong. Revealing that there were attempts to tamper with the case by discrediting witnesses, he said the probe would continue and punish those involved according to evidence and facts.

Meanwhile, Pol Maj-General Kanitsorn Noinart, commander of Kalasin provincial police, urged police at all 43 precincts to work with the DSI in investigating the missing 350,000 tablets of pseudoephedrine medicine from Kamalapisai Hospital.

A pharmacist at Chiang Mai Nakhonping Hospital and owner of Om Muag Pharmacy, Methee Pol-ard, from whose pharmacy 6,539 bottles of pseudoephedrine medicine had been seized earlier, told a press conference yesterday that he wasn't involved in drug trafficking. Saying he did not break the law by selling the drug, he said that after the ban on over-the-counter sale of pseudoephedrine medicine, he had kept his stocks in storage until the suppliers took it back. He said he had bought the cold medicine in a bulk quantities after hearing the prices would increase. He called for justice as the news affected his professional reputation.

Meanwhile, Chiang Mai's San Khamphaeng police revealed that emptied medicine packs, found on March 28 in a wooded area, contained 1.7 million tablets. They submitted the emptied packs to FDA to check the lot numbers to trace them.

-- The Nation 2012-04-01

[FOODLOVER]

Why dont they just allow a customer to buy a 7 day supply which would be 14 pills? If someone asks for millions of pills alert someone. Was this not in the training manual?

[Thai at Heart]

Very aCcurate stats. Almost as though they already knew.

[TackyToo]

“He said the smuggling of pseudoephedrine medicine was because many countries did not strictly control it.”

“Prapon said two countries exported pseudoephedrine medicine. About 85 per cent of the medicine was smuggled into Thailand from one country while about 3 million to 4 million tablets were smuggled in from a country that has a border with Thailand.”

Why am I not surprised that they play the blame game again? No matter what- it is always someone else’s fault…

[OzMick]

"Tharit ...... urged those involved in the wrongdoing to give information to DSI as case witness."

They can even lie, as this would not be perjury according to Tharit.

[WhizBang]

Or how about arresting and convicting some high level Ministry of Health officials and the ex-MP and sending them to jail for many years (I mean actually sending them to jail, no suspended sentences, no bribes to be let off, and NO permission to leave the country for a special event). Also hit them where it will really hurt, give them some very heavy fines and confiscate some/all of their property.

Do that and you will send a shock wave through Thai hi-so's as they may come to realize that they too could also be arrested and jailed for criminal activity. Make the penalty so onerous that no one wants to risk it.

In other words, start by enforcing the law, and also strengthening the laws.

But TiT, so I expect all this too will be forgotten by next week and no one will ever actually be named or identified.

[h90]

Why dont they just allow a customer to buy a 7 day supply which would be 14 pills? If someone asks for millions of pills alert someone. Was this not in the training manual?

How about making a real concept to fight narcotics first and not only make actions which guarantee to keep the selling price high?

[FOODLOVER]

Why dont they just allow a customer to buy a 7 day supply which would be 14 pills? If someone asks for millions of pills alert someone. Was this not in the training manual?

How about making a real concept to fight narcotics first and not only make actions which guarantee to keep the selling price high?

That too.

[edwinchester]

"One bag could carry tens of thousands of tablets".

The ingredients of meth are hardly a secret so if thousands of tablets are showing up when a passengers bags are scanned surely questions should be asked or am I missing something?

Posted with Thaivisa App http://apps.thaivisa.com

[MEL1]

"He added that it wouldn't be imported in future. Phenylephrine medicine, which was more complicated and could cause an explosion if turned into narcotics, would be used instead, he added."

Jesus H Christ! Don't feed the Muslims ideas.......

-mel

[smedly]

Is it just me or was that whole article written very badly, the bottom line is anyone involved in this at any level should be heading to jail, why on earth would they have millions of these tablets anywhere - even after destroying most of what they currently have they will still have a years supply ???? the pharmacy store room must be half the size of the hospital

[Arkady]

Or how about arresting and convicting some high level Ministry of Health officials and the ex-MP and sending them to jail for many years (I mean actually sending them to jail, no suspended sentences, no bribes to be let off, and NO permission to leave the country for a special event). Also hit them where it will really hurt, give them some very heavy fines and confiscate some/all of their property.

Do that and you will send a shock wave through Thai hi-so's as they may come to realize that they too could also be arrested and jailed for criminal activity. Make the penalty so onerous that no one wants to risk it.

In other words, start by enforcing the law, and also strengthening the laws.

But TiT, so I expect all this too will be forgotten by next week and no one will ever actually be named or identified.

Absolutely right. They actually have no interest in enforcing the law because the drug trade is too profitable and all politicians are involved in some illegal activity for which they could jail, if laws were enforced. The puyai will all be let off for lack of evidence after paying bribes.

A lot of chest thumping by Chalerm and other corrupt idiots put in power by a docile electorate and having a draconian crack on ordinary people using the only effective remedy for nasal congestion is more the national style. Congrats.

[hanuman2543]

Good for the producers/dealers because the price will go through the roof. Bad for the addicts. How long before the producers switch to another methamphetaminsynhtesis?

[hhiser]

Found this article while searching for information on the efficacy of phenylephrine versus pseudoephedrine.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2000711/

Personally I dislike decongestants and believe they are over prescribed here, but I do not see a ban on them as an effective measure to stop the manufacture of methamphetamine.

[geriatrickid]

“He said the smuggling of pseudoephedrine medicine was because many countries did not strictly control it.”

“Prapon said two countries exported pseudoephedrine medicine. About 85 per cent of the medicine was smuggled into Thailand from one country while about 3 million to 4 million tablets were smuggled in from a country that has a border with Thailand.”

Why am I not surprised that they play the blame game again? No matter what- it is always someone else’s fault…

Suppliers from China, Taiwan and Korea don't care about the ramifications of their chemical exports.

China is a major source of bogus pharmaceuticals and unsafe products for the world.

Who is going to take on China?

[geriatrickid]

Good for the producers/dealers because the price will go through the roof. Bad for the addicts. How long before the producers switch to another methamphetaminsynhtesis?

not likely.

[geriatrickid]

Why dont they just allow a customer to buy a 7 day supply which would be 14 pills? If someone asks for millions of pills alert someone. Was this not in the training manual?

How about making a real concept to fight narcotics first and not only make actions which guarantee to keep the selling price high?

The death penalty is part of that strategy. The dead dealers won't be selling drugs. A few hundred or so dead dealers and people will get the message.

[h90]

Why dont they just allow a customer to buy a 7 day supply which would be 14 pills? If someone asks for millions of pills alert someone. Was this not in the training manual?

How about making a real concept to fight narcotics first and not only make actions which guarantee to keep the selling price high?

That too.

No that will never happen....too much money involved.

[TheyCallmeScooter]

Suvarnabhumi A Major Channel

But some channels are more major than others.

To be fair, at the ports of the world you're not going to find many victimised mules sweating the long queues, invasive pat downs and repetitive redundancy that has become part and parcel of air travel 'security'. So if you're after mules, you'd be braindead to hang around shipping containers all day.

But if you're after 'contraband', you'd be braindead to imagine the flood would come through in dribs and drabs; in condoms swallowed in stomachs and ingeniously ferreted away (a dozen at a time!) in carry-on luggage. When you're moving containers, the major channel tends to alight at a safe harbour. As an added benefit, you're right there in Klongtoei so you don't even need to tilt at the traffic.

I'm not suggesting anyone is braindead, of course.

Well...the dumb exploited mules are usually frightened out of their minds. But if doing something stupid deserved capital rehabilitation, we'd all be deserving of a noose.

[arrowsdawdle]

Why dont they just allow a customer to buy a 7 day supply which would be 14 pills? If someone asks for millions of pills alert someone. Was this not in the training manual?

How about making a real concept to fight narcotics first and not only make actions which guarantee to keep the selling price high?

The death penalty is part of that strategy. The dead dealers won't be selling drugs. A few hundred or so dead dealers and people will get the message.

Flawed thinking. Dealers are expendable. There will be a new dealer for each one executed before each corpse cools to 90*.

Supply side campaigns to control drugs only control rogue competitors and sometimes are used to justify price spikes.

You want to stop drug use? Legislate a death penalty for drug use. Problem over in a New York second.

[TAWP]

You want to stop drug use? Legislate a death penalty for drug use. Problem over in a New York second.

Is this some form of sick joke?

[hanuman2543]

Good for the producers/dealers because the price will go through the roof. Bad for the addicts. How long before the producers switch to another methamphetaminsynhtesis?

not likely.

What is not likely? That the price will go up significant? Very likely. Change to another synthesis? Just google methsynthesis and you will see that there are many other ways then using pseudoephedrine to produce meth.

[lockman]

Well, while I agree there is a drug problem, if they ban it, what about someone who actually needs this? My wife has on occasion an allergenic reaction, Now if I see this in time, I make her take some benadryl right then, But if that isn't done, a trip to emergency may be needed, I get about 20-25 pills once a year at present. There are actual needs for some meds.

[Scott]

An off-topic post has been deleted.