Thailand's Meth Menace

[webfact]

Thailand's meth menace
Nirmal Ghosh
The Straits Times

BANGKOK: -- The grey Honda Civic would not have raised eyebrows anywhere, but Bangkok's Metropolitan Police had a tip and were looking out for it.

They stopped it on the night of April 29, searched it and found 230,000 methamphetamine pills. The shipment was worth an estimated 69 million baht (US$2.32 million).

The two men in the car were arrested, and later the police arrested a third person - a woman - to whom the men were scheduled to deliver the shipment. All are Thais in their mid-20s.

The two in the car were regularly paid between 100,000 baht and 150,000 baht by a trafficker in northern Thailand to ferry the drugs to Bangkok.

In this case, the pills were destined for the woman, Porntip Channuan, whose clients were, among others, reportedly inmates of Chonburi prison near Bangkok.

It was a big bust, but by no means unusual.

The numbers and value of the drug trade - principally methamphetamines - in Thailand are routinely staggering, but have reached new heights in the last six to eight months.

From October 2012 until the end of March this year, more than 59 million methamphetamine pills, 959kg of Ice or crystalline meth, 118kg of heroin and more than 10,000kg of marijuana have been seized.

Full story: http://www.asianewsnet.net/Thailands-meth-menace-46649.html


-- ANN 2013-05-14

[lee b]

shocking !!

[Ragzilb]

Good job still think it is sad too see Weed among the drug list We need fuel and clothing and Cannabis is the best alternative we have

[webfact]

Pa Muang Task Force seize 1.6 million meth pills, 43 kg of 'ice', with street value of Bt500 million in Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district /MCOT

[chainarong]

Whilst you have poverty , low wages, greed ,poor education, corruption, peer pressure , high dept levels ,in a society such as Thailand you will always get the idiots trying to make the easy money, in real terms, they just cannot see the big picture, only tunnel vision , money money money, , the big picture is the Bangkok Hilton, this will determine where you will spend your free time if caught.

[bubblegum]

And Chalem said he'd fixed the drug problem within 2 weeks, that was month ago ??

[tfc]

"Fixed" is a very ambiguous word in Thailand.

[garydubbs]

Whilst you have poverty , low wages, greed ,poor education, corruption, peer pressure , high dept levels ,in a society such as Thailand you will always get the idiots trying to make the easy money, in real terms, they just cannot see the big picture, only tunnel vision , money money money, , the big picture is the Bangkok Hilton, this will determine where you will spend your free time if caught.

with enough money the bangkok hilton is more like the real hilton. satellite tv, restaurant food, etc. its not much of a deterrent for those with power or connections and its business as usual to boot

Edited May 14, 2013 by garydubbs

[rubl]

"The numbers have reached new height in the last six to eight months"

One might say "taskforces against drugs" work, but in many cases an increase in catches simply means an increase in traffic. What happened to explain this increase?

[HarryMilton]

Good job still think it is sad too see Weed among the drug list We need fuel and clothing and Cannabis is the best alternative we have

A serious question, what does this mean? You eat and clothe yourself using cannabis?

[RubbaJohnny]

Good job still think it is sad too see Weed among the drug list We need fuel and clothing and Cannabis is the best alternative we have

A serious question, what does this mean? You eat and clothe yourself using cannabis?

I beleive the author may have been suggesting pracical uses of the stuff of course he may be thinking that if you puff but don't inhale you won't get the munchies but sufficient inhibitions may be shed to wander nude or have I underestimated the his blow for freedom.

[JeremyBowskill]

Good luck BIB in ridding Thailand of this utter filth, apart from weed that is. Although I do not smoke it myself, or smoke anything for that matter, its still a bit like mentioning a can of shandy in a sentence alongside lao kao.

[HarryMilton]

Whilst you have poverty , low wages, greed ,poor education, corruption, peer pressure , high dept levels ,in a society such as Thailand you will always get the idiots trying to make the easy money, in real terms, they just cannot see the big picture, only tunnel vision , money money money, , the big picture is the Bangkok Hilton, this will determine where you will spend your free time if caught.

with enough money the bangkok hilton is more like the real hilton. satellite tv, restaurant food, etc. its not much of a deterrent for those with power or connections and its business as usual to boot

For your sake I hope you never have to stay there, you may be in for big a disappointment.

[HarryMilton]

Good luck BIB in ridding Thailand of this utter filth, apart from weed that is. Although I do not smoke it myself, or smoke anything for that matter, its still a bit like mentioning a can of shandy in a sentence alongside lao kao.

The filth are the traffickers/transporters, they don't care what they're delivering, meth, cannabis, whatever.

I don't understand the defence cannabis smoking gets (except when it's the dope-heads doing the defence). It's a real pain in the arse when I'm in my own condo and some bastard's dope smoke drifts into my place. If you want to support the use of cannabis please make sure nobody else has to smoke it 2nd hand.

[JeremyBowskill]

Good luck BIB in ridding Thailand of this utter filth, apart from weed that is. Although I do not smoke it myself, or smoke anything for that matter, its still a bit like mentioning a can of shandy in a sentence alongside lao kao.

The filth are the traffickers/transporters, they don't care what they're delivering, meth, cannabis, whatever.

I don't understand the defence cannabis smoking gets (except when it's the dope-heads doing the defence). It's a real pain in the arse when I'm in my own condo and some bastard's dope smoke drifts into my place. If you want to support the use of cannabis please make sure nobody else has to smoke it 2nd hand.

I neither care 1 way or the other, ban it and ban all smoking as far as I'm concerned. I would be no less p1ssed off by someones pipe or cigar smoke as weed wafting in my house.

just think putting it next to a list of deadly Chems is a bit rich.

Edited May 14, 2013 by JeremyBowskill

[Jingthing]

Whilst you have poverty , low wages, greed ,poor education, corruption, peer pressure , high dept levels ,in a society such as Thailand you will always get the idiots trying to make the easy money, in real terms, they just cannot see the big picture, only tunnel vision , money money money, , the big picture is the Bangkok Hilton, this will determine where you will spend your free time if caught.

with enough money the bangkok hilton is more like the real hilton. satellite tv, restaurant food, etc. its not much of a deterrent for those with power or connections and its business as usual to boot

Really? Have you been? That's one restaurant review I'd like to pass on!

[belg]

maybe time to invest in a drug sniffer dog ?

[PoodMaiDai]

And Chalem said he'd fixed the drug problem within 2 weeks, that was month ago ??

Almost a year ago I believe. But don't worry, he'll get it taken care of as soon as he cleans up the violence in the south.

[JetsetBkk]

Whilst you have poverty , low wages, greed ,poor education, corruption, peer pressure , high dept levels ,in a society such as Thailand you will always get the idiots trying to make the easy money, in real terms, they just cannot see the big picture, only tunnel vision , money money money, , the big picture is the Bangkok Hilton, this will determine where you will spend your free time if caught.

I doubt the ones arrested were the ones who made the stuff. They will carry on with new deliverymen with little worry about the Bangkok Hilton.

[Andre0720]

Good luck BIB in ridding Thailand of this utter filth, apart from weed that is. Although I do not smoke it myself, or smoke anything for that matter, its still a bit like mentioning a can of shandy in a sentence alongside lao kao.

The filth are the traffickers/transporters, they don't care what they're delivering, meth, cannabis, whatever.

I don't understand the defence cannabis smoking gets (except when it's the dope-heads doing the defence). It's a real pain in the arse when I'm in my own condo and some bastard's dope smoke drifts into my place. If you want to support the use of cannabis please make sure nobody else has to smoke it 2nd hand.

Been asking the same thing about cigarette smoke for years....

At least cannabis gives a buzz to the smoker.

Cigarette smoking on the other hand give only a stench....

[SOTIRIOS]

...sickening.....

[rucus7]

The real question in my mind is about supply and demand. There is obviously a great demand hence the increased supply. Why is there such a great demand. Are people without hope? What causes the desire to change ones perceptions with extreme stimulants? Are the majority recreational users? I can't believe any drug is that addictive, once and you're hooked.

[winstonc]

with weed smokers,at least they dont go around intimidating people destroying property running people over,infact with the munchiesthey help with the food industry,,,,,hahahahaha true tho,,,,

[Andre0720]

The real question in my mind is about supply and demand. There is obviously a great demand hence the increased supply. Why is there such a great demand. Are people without hope? What causes the desire to change ones perceptions with extreme stimulants? Are the majority recreational users? I can't believe any drug is that addictive, once and you're hooked.

Most kids here do not have a father around....

They think this drug is a nice compromise.

But the drug fries the brain,

And then they steal to get more...

Check out the documentary:

''The most dangerous drug''

[Andre0720]

The real question in my mind is about supply and demand. There is obviously a great demand hence the increased supply. Why is there such a great demand. Are people without hope? What causes the desire to change ones perceptions with extreme stimulants? Are the majority recreational users? I can't believe any drug is that addictive, once and you're hooked.

Are you aware that nicotine is more addictive than cocaine.

Only heroine would be more addictive.

Meth is somewhere in-between...

[metisdead]

Off topic post has been removed.

[thomash]

Well most of the meth orginates from Burma and seems to be able to come over the border easily even though there are Thai military and police there who are suppose to stop it from coming over but somehow it still comes over I wonder why$$

[Frank James]

This article is saying that each pill cost about $10 US?? That seems unlikely.

I can't understand why this wretched class of drug (amphetamine family) is so widespread and apparently popular in Thailand. Thailand pot used to be among the world's best ("Thai stick") but the stuff mostly available here now is garbage, not worth the money or the extreme legal consequences.

Or so I've heard.

[Baerboxer]

Whilst you have poverty , low wages, greed ,poor education, corruption, peer pressure , high dept levels ,in a society such as Thailand you will always get the idiots trying to make the easy money, in real terms, they just cannot see the big picture, only tunnel vision , money money money, , the big picture is the Bangkok Hilton, this will determine where you will spend your free time if caught.

Bit like LA, New York, London, Manchester, Glasgow, Paris, Milan, Rome, Munich etc etc. then,

[Halion]

Good liason and cooperation between the certain members of the elite and the RTP... to limit the compitition.