Thailand: Drug trade rampant; more complex smuggling on rise

[webfact]

Drug trade rampant; more complex smuggling on rise
By English News



BANGKOK: -- Illicit drugs continue to flow into an expanding user base during the past nine months; major drug dealers are still active and using more complicated and sophisticated smuggling procedures, according to the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB).

The ONCB said the overall picture of the drug situation from October 1 last year to June 30 was worrisome as the trade and spread of narcotics has intensified, with methamphetamine and crystal methamphetamine among the top drugs on the market.

Thailand's major drug syndicates are still active with more varied smuggling procedures and increased ability to avoid crackdowns by the authorities.

Meanwhile, the production bases for meth, ice and heroin production located mainly in minority groups areas in the neighbouring countries and their capacity to produce illicit drugs seems unlimited.

In Thailand, after the government announced the war against illicit drugs from 2003-2010, the production bases of meth pills disappeared, but reemerged in 2011.

As for cross border smuggling, the number of cases and smugglers arrested were declining, but the volume of drugs was increasing.

The meth pills were increasing 57.91 per cent and ice 22.72 per cent.

Thailand's northern border provinces were the major target for crossborder smuggling for 96.4 per cent of drugs that were carried into the country.

The traders who played a major role in drug trading were inmates in prisons, former traders who returned into the business, and youth groups familiar with using information technology and government officials. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2013-07-16

[bigbamboo]

This can't be true surely.

Chalerm was moaning he couldn't understand his demotion as he was winning the fight against drugs.

Of course he may have been lying.

Edited July 16, 2013 by bigbamboo

[laurentbkk]

Finally a hub which works .....

[jamstock]

As was proved with prohibition in America, when there is demand there will be supply, regardless of the law.

Besides, when you're told not to do something, you're more likely to want to do it. It's human nature.

[jaltsc]

If Prime Minister Yingluck truly wants to destroy Thailand's major drug syndicates, perhaps she should use the same subsidy scheme she used for the rice industry

[Neilly]

Well they seem to have no problem smuggling 18 wheelers full of rice across the boarders...so a few pills shouldn't be too much of a problem for them

Edited July 16, 2013 by Neilly

[Redhawk]

As always the bad and the ugly are the neighbors! The small island of the honorable society remaining, is surrounded by evil!

[lee b]

A job for the police me thinks !- Wait what police? they are busy taking bribes

[simple1]

A job for the police me thinks !- Wait what police? they are busy taking bribes

The traders who played a major role in drug trading in the OP also refers to "government officials" Who do you think the primary group they are referring to?

Edited July 16, 2013 by simple1

[Bakseeda]

Does 6 months ring a bell somewhere...... Mr Chalerm..

[TackyToo]

This can't be true surely.

Chalerm was moaning he couldn't understand his demotion as he was winning the fight against drugs.

Of course he may have been lying.

Chalerm was moaning he couldn't understand his demotion as he was winning the fight against drugs

Shouldn’t it read winning the fight against illegal drugs? It seems he still has a problem with the legal ones.

[pete66]

In Thailand, after the government announced the war against illicit drugs from 2003-2010, the production bases of meth pills disappeared, but reemerged in 2011.

Talk about spin-doctoring .... no government can make a production base of drugs disappear ... it has just never happened, least of all in a country with rampant corruption. So yaa baa disappeared from 2003-2010? Hundreds of thousands of addicts will testify otherwise.

Edited July 16, 2013 by pete66

[connda]

Thailand should take a clue from the West. Legalize or decriminalize marijuana and focus on the stopping the "hard" drugs at the source and street dealer levels. Then work with youngsters to educate them on the effects of heroin and methamphetamine addiction with DARE-like educational programs. An instead of prosecuting "hard" drug users, try rehabilitating them. Although I personally have not seen it, word of mouth in our village is that methamphetamine use is endemic with teenagers in most of the villages in and around us. That was one of the reasons I move my wife's son out of the village and into a private school in Chiang Mai. Too many rural kids have nothing to look forward to but a life of farming and laboring. They they turn to drugs for escape. Are they criminals. Not if they are just using. But they may become criminals to support their habit. It's sad. So it's more than a drug problem, it's a societal problem. The cops should have better things to do than bust pot, or kratom, or het kee kwai (magic mushroom) users. Focus where the problem is: Thai-Burma border, corrupt government officials, and distributions points, and street deals of "hard" narcotics. My two satang worth.

[deecee10]

Clever use of transport vehicles by these smugglers.

Rice going out in the trucks and drugs coming back in.

No wasted trips returning empty handed.

[FireMedic]

Clever use of transport vehicles by these smugglers.

Rice going out in the trucks and drugs coming back in.

No wasted trips returning empty handed.

Now if we could just the Phuket taxi and tuk tuks to think this way it would be great! Never an empty load and making money both ways....

[connda]

In Thailand, after the government announced the war against illicit drugs from 2003-2010, the production bases of meth pills disappeared, but reemerged in 2011.

Talk about spin-doctoring .... no government can make a production base of drugs disappear ... it has just never happened, least of all in a country with rampant corruption. So yaa baa disappeared from 2003-2010? Hundreds of thousands of addicts will testify otherwise.

In Thailand, after the government announced the war against illicit drugs from 2003-2010, the production bases of meth pills disappeared, but reemerged in 2011.

Yeah, when the solution is widespread extra-judicial killings, everyone keeps their heads down, even the innocent. Did the production bases of meth pills really "disappear" or did it just become harder to find. I'm thinking the later.

FYI, the "War on Drugs" doesn't work and will never work. It's a pipe-dream. Educate the youth; rehabilitate the users. If the "demand" decrease, so does the supply. Judicially ruining life's, especially users, will not decrease demand. If anything, it will increase it. A lot of people take drugs to get away from their crappy life's. I guess that's now my 3 satang's worth.

Edited July 16, 2013 by connda

[Maggusoil]

Thailand should take a clue from the West. Legalize or decriminalize marijuana and focus on the stopping the "hard" drugs at the source and street dealer levels. Then work with youngsters to educate them on the effects of heroin and methamphetamine addiction with DARE-like educational programs. An instead of prosecuting "hard" drug users, try rehabilitating them. Although I personally have not seen it, word of mouth in our village is that methamphetamine use is endemic with teenagers in most of the villages in and around us. That was one of the reasons I move my wife's son out of the village and into a private school in Chiang Mai. Too many rural kids have nothing to look forward to but a life of farming and laboring. They they turn to drugs for escape. Are they criminals. Not if they are just using. But they may become criminals to support their habit. It's sad. So it's more than a drug problem, it's a societal problem. The cops should have better things to do than bust pot, or kratom, or het kee kwai (magic mushroom) users. Focus where the problem is: Thai-Burma border, corrupt government officials, and distributions points, and street deals of "hard" narcotics. My two satang worth.

Wait a minute, how could you change a decision you had ever made? You would lose face.

[winstonc]

Thailand should take a clue from the West. Legalize or decriminalize marijuana and focus on the stopping the "hard" drugs at the source and street dealer levels. Then work with youngsters to educate them on the effects of heroin and methamphetamine addiction with DARE-like educational programs. An instead of prosecuting "hard" drug users, try rehabilitating them. Although I personally have not seen it, word of mouth in our village is that methamphetamine use is endemic with teenagers in most of the villages in and around us. That was one of the reasons I move my wife's son out of the village and into a private school in Chiang Mai. Too many rural kids have nothing to look forward to but a life of farming and laboring. They they turn to drugs for escape. Are they criminals. Not if they are just using. But they may become criminals to support their habit. It's sad. So it's more than a drug problem, it's a societal problem. The cops should have better things to do than bust pot, or kratom, or het kee kwai (magic mushroom) users. Focus where the problem is: Thai-Burma border, corrupt government officials, and distributions points, and street deals of "hard" narcotics. My two satang worth.

good post,but the dist points are wearing brown uniforms,,,,,,,,,,,,

Edited July 16, 2013 by winstonc

[sirchai]

As for cross border smuggling, the number of cases and smugglers arrested were declining, but the volume of drugs was increasing.

As for learning English, the number of cases who have a good command in English are decreasing, but the volume of World Class Standardization was increasing.

One sentence fits all.-