Lao national arrested for smuggling crystal meth into Thailand

By Digital Media

NONG KHAI, Jan 26 - A Lao national was arrested for smuggling crystal meth, also known as 'ice', worth Bt6 million, while he was crossing the Thai-Lao border in this northeastern province on Saturday.

Director of Customs Department's local Investigation and Suppression Bureau office, Tada Chumchaiyo, told reporters that 'Tao Wieng Sawan', the 29-year-old male suspect, was carrying baggage across the border after he exited a bus servicing Thailand's Udon Thani-Laos PDR route.

The man appeared suspicious, prompting Thai local authorities to search him.

Two 2kg packages of crystal meth were found and seized by the authorities.

The suspect told authorities that he had been hired by another Laotian with an unknown name to deliver the 'ice' to a customer in Thailand's Udon Thani province. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-01-26

... Ahhh run this by me again? He prompted to be searched, then told the cops he was being set up as a mule? Okay ... right.

I wonder just how high up the drug cartel goes, not just here but also in the surrounding countries? There are a lot of mules and dealers being caught, but no-one of any real significance. After the mules are offered the monetary incentive to be a mule, what health incentives are they offered to not mention the names of the people who hire them? With enough effort in investigation by the authorities the higher ups could by tracked from mules, to recruiters, to the area bosses, leading all the way up to the king pins, but of course the investigators need enough moral fortitude to resist the blind eye incetives to actually do the job properly.

I wonder just how high up the drug cartel goes, not just here but also in the surrounding countries? There are a lot of mules and dealers being caught, but no-one of any real significance. After the mules are offered the monetary incentive to be a mule, what health incentives are they offered to not mention the names of the people who hire them? With enough effort in investigation by the authorities the higher ups could by tracked from mules, to recruiters, to the area bosses, leading all the way up to the king pins, but of course the investigators need enough moral fortitude to resist the blind eye incetives to actually do the job properly.

The problem with the system is the people at the top of the supply chain usually are associated with the ones doing the investigation.

Thai "authorities" have no interest in getting petty catches to flip and rat out the next guys on up the food chain. It would eliminate the lucrative business if Mr. Bigs were busted. Everyone knows this. Everyone knows that the newspaper is merely a channel to create some propaganda that the "authorities" occasionally bust a petty drug mule. Everyone knows this. Foreign embassies and governments know this about Thailand.

The problem I have is with all these reports of people (mules) being stopped and arrested at recognised border crossing points. With no offence intended at the border patrols, Thailands borders are not sealed and to me a night crossing would be the better way to get illegal substances into the country.

It is akin to these idiots being stopped going out/ coming into the country through air-gates. Again, to me this is either stupidity or the offender is being setup.

Hope this isn't putting ideas into prospective smugglers heads..........................

The problem I have is with all these reports of people (mules) being stopped and arrested at recognised border crossing points. With no offence intended at the border patrols, Thailands borders are not sealed and to me a night crossing would be the better way to get illegal substances into the country.

It is akin to these idiots being stopped going out/ coming into the country through air-gates. Again, to me this is either stupidity or the offender is being setup.

Hope this isn't putting ideas into prospective smugglers heads..........................

Totaaly agree, with a cargo which can be easily transported by hand and with the porous nature of the Thai borders why would anyone with half a brain risk walking through a border checkpoint with 6 million Baht of illegal drugs. It simply does not make sense and defies credibility.

The problem I have is with all these reports of people (mules) being stopped and arrested at recognised border crossing points. With no offence intended at the border patrols, Thailands borders are not sealed and to me a night crossing would be the better way to get illegal substances into the country.

It is akin to these idiots being stopped going out/ coming into the country through air-gates. Again, to me this is either stupidity or the offender is being setup.

Where do you think the real shipments are coming through?

The problem I have is with all these reports of people (mules) being stopped and arrested at recognised border crossing points. With no offence intended at the border patrols, Thailands borders are not sealed and to me a night crossing would be the better way to get illegal substances into the country.

It is akin to these idiots being stopped going out/ coming into the country through air-gates. Again, to me this is either stupidity or the offender is being setup.

Where do you think the real shipments are coming through?

I had the ubiquitous pleasure of sitting next to a retired DEA officer on a long flight a few years ago. He had spent much time in the Far East and spoke of how quite often a large shipment will be preceded by a smaller yet newsworthy shipment and the unfortunate mule is dobbed in even before he starts his trip.

The idea of course to attract all the attention and focus and thus allows the real shipment to pass across unimpeded. He also spoke of situations where the boarder control officer behind it all is quite often the one who is the link. the idea being that he looks good for the small arrest at same time.

It was quite interesting yet chilling listening to him talk... his definition of justice was seeing herion drug mules die in writhing pain when the heroin filled condoms in their stomach or gastro system burst or leaked.. quite a hardened bugger he was.

Reading the post here I was reminded of the flight.. we didn't talk much.. I got the feeling he didn't want to talk and quite frankly its a world I didn't want to hear about however definitely got the feeling from him that drug couriers , users and the whole chain weren't worth saving and better off dead

I wonder just how high up the drug cartel goes, not just here but also in the surrounding countries? There are a lot of mules and dealers being caught, but no-one of any real significance. After the mules are offered the monetary incentive to be a mule, what health incentives are they offered to not mention the names of the people who hire them? With enough effort in investigation by the authorities the higher ups could by tracked from mules, to recruiters, to the area bosses, leading all the way up to the king pins, but of course the investigators need enough moral fortitude to resist the blind eye incetives to actually do the job properly.

There is not only the places this stuff has come from but where it is going.

There must be labs or whatever where the stuff is divided into saleable portions after all the druggie idiots on the street is not going to buy the stuff in the bulk lots we see in the papers and on tele.

Why is it so difficult to work out where it is going to be processed?

Dont remember hearing of one of these places being raided.

When I see reports of organized crime in Thailand and who is likely behind it, I draw on the CCTV video of my friend's condo's security guards taking his 100,000 motorbike down the road one night and lifting it into a pick-up after they disconnected the cameras in the condo.