Thai Police bust drug trafficking ring, seizing over 147 kilograms of heroin

[webfact]

Police bust drug trafficking ring, seizing over 147 kilograms of heroin

RANONG, 26 March 2014 (NNT)-- Thai police have busted a transnational drug ring and confiscated more than 147 kilograms of heroin in the southern province of Ranong.

According to Pol.Gen.Pongsapas Pongcharoen,the Secretary General of the Anti Narcotics Police, Thai police acted on a tip-off from their Australian counterparts that a big trafficking ring would be shipping a huge stash of heroin to Australia, in frozen seafood containers.

Police raided a trading company in Ranong on Thursday evening and found 420 bars of heroin, weighing more than 147 kilograms, hidden in frozen seafood containers.

Both Malaysian and Thai men were arrested and charged with possession of illicit drugs for the purpose of resale.

Pongsapas said police had been closely monitoring the two suspects for some time before making an arrest.

Had all of this heroin found its way onto the streets of Australia, it would have been worth more than three billion baht, said Pongsapas.


-- NNT 2014-03-26

[Costas2008]

Pongsapas said police had been closely monitoring the two suspects for some time before making an arrest.

Had all of this heroin found its way onto the streets of Australia, it would have been worth more than three billion baht, said Pongsapas.

Australians, for once in your lives, be grateful to the Thai Police.

[Bangmod]

Yeah right, only 2 were monitored????

Better had it let go to Australia in a controlled manner or replaced by milk powder and watched where the transport was going and who was behind it.

These 2 arrests for 147 KG is a bit lame, but yeah probably some cops tipped off the guys behind and made early arrests, clever copper work

[ChrisY1]

They must have had a tip off.......no way they could have found these people otherwise....

Ok....missed the first part...they did get a tip off.....

Edited March 26, 2014 by ChrisY1

[BillyBobThai]

Thats a lot of smack.

[clockman]

Iam always wary of statements made these people. When large sums of money are involved.

[noitom]

Let's see if the Thai police flip these guys and get at the Thai Mr. Bigs. The Thai police "have been watching for some time" so presumably they know there is a network of money men and bankers above these guys. Let's see if the Thais are serious or just happy to bust a few petty transit point links.

[alfalfa19]

This is a huge amount of heroin. If memory serves me correctly, about 3 times the size of the French Connection bust. Let's see if it ends up the same way, stolen from the evidence room by the cops and resold.

[speedtripler]

This is a huge amount of heroin. If memory serves me correctly, about 3 times the size of the French Connection bust. Let's see if it ends up the same way, stolen from the evidence room by the cops and resold.

3 billion bahts worth of brown is well worth gettting suspended over ,or transferred to an inactive post ......

[JeremyBowskill]

That's more horse than a Teso freezer section!

[oysters]

Pongsapas said police had been closely monitoring the two suspects for some time before making an arrest.

Had all of this heroin found its way onto the streets of Australia, it would have been worth more than three billion baht, said Pongsapas.

Australians, for once in your lives, be grateful to the Thai Police.

[oysters]

It was the Aussie police who tipped of the thai police so they should be thanking the Aussies .

That being said I agree that should have replaced the heroin with a substitute and tracked it to the other end.

Unless they flip it's a great bust but once again the major players are still in play.

[gerry123]

please tell when one FLIPS or a flip takes place what exactly happens ? in the context of this drug bust

[simple1]

In February this year 353 kilograms of heroin were intercepted off the coast of Africa by Australian authorities with Iranian and Pakistani smugglers arrested. In place such as Iran tons of heroin have been captured in single busts whilst in transit from Afghanistan.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/07/world/asia/australia-heroin/

I believe it is generally accepted that only 10% of illegal drug shipmenmts are intercepted. In the scheme of things this bust is relatively small & will only increase the level of crime in Australia as the street prices will probably increase whilst awaiting the next shipment

Edited March 26, 2014 by simple1

[webfact]

2 nabbed with Australia-bound heroin
Boonleun Promprathakul
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- A TOTAL OF 147 kilograms of grade-A heroin, with a street value of more than Bt3 billion, was discovered hidden in a frozen-seafood container heading to Australia from Ranong.

Two men - one Malaysian and the other Thai, both in their 40s - were also arrested in the drug bust that stemmed from a month-long operation between Thai and Australian police.

Pol General Pongsapat Pongcharoen, secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), told the press that Malaysian national Yi Yong Ho and his Thai accomplice Kritsana Meenant used a marine-life export company's office in tambon Bang Rin to repackage the narcotics to send along with the seafood products to Australia.

The Australian Federal Police had previously contacted their Thai counterparts to inquire about |a large batch of heroin would be sent to Australia, so |Thai police decided to investigate the case, Pongsapat said.

The investigation team learned that a group of Malaysian suspects, particularly Yi, had made several trips from Malaysia to Bangkok and Ranong last November, he said. Then the team learned that the man had returned to Ranong in February, possibly for further planning and making connections.

On Tuesday night, Yi and Kritsana returned to Ranong to take the drugs to the company's office for repackaging, Pongsapat said.

The Thai police team had been tailing the pair for nearly a month and decided to arrest them at this point. The seized heroin carried the Lion on Globe logo, which reportedly originated from Myanmar, and was found packed in 420 small packets and hidden in 23 boxes of seafood, Pongsapat said. The total amount of heroin seized weighed 147kg and could fetch up to Bt3 billion in Australia.


-- The Nation 2014-03-26

[chooka]

Different story coming out of Australia. Apparently it was an Australian Federal Police investigation and they were assisted with the arrest by Thai Police.

[ezzra]

Thai Police bust drug trafficking ring.... why ring and not drug trafficking bracelet or necklace? they all round

forms, just like the ring

[moe666]

Does it really matter the druggies will find another source, it like trying to fix a small hole on the Titanic when the bottom as been ripped out on the other side. More people have died from the war on drugs than have died from the drugs.

[speedtripler]

it was probably a tonne of heroin but after the thai police counted it it changed to 147kg ..........

[BlueSkyCowboy]

Pongsapas said police had been closely monitoring the two suspects for some time before making an arrest.

Had all of this heroin found its way onto the streets of Australia, it would have been worth more than three billion baht, said Pongsapas.

Australians, for once in your lives, be grateful to the Thai Police.

Why?? some people like the stuff LOL

[boisian]

Pongsapas said police had been closely monitoring the two suspects for some time before making an arrest.

Had all of this heroin found its way onto the streets of Australia, it would have been worth more than three billion baht, said Pongsapas.

Australians, for once in your lives, be grateful to the Thai Police.

why? the delayed the arrival of 147 keys for 3 weeks? And put up the price another 20%? And the skips'll have to be doing cold water washes of Nurofen Plus for another month? 55555

actually, the heroin epidemic in Australia of the late 1990's was terrible due to its devastation on a generation of kids - it wiped out a lot of ravers who should have otherwise been growing up and leading normal lives. It was possible to buy a rock for 800thb off the street 24/7, cheaper and easier to procure than alcohol or weed.

at least it was shorter lived than the ice problem.

OK OK well done BIB (when the Aussie Feds ring emup and spoon feed them)

[alfalfa19]

please tell when one FLIPS or a flip takes place what exactly happens ? in the context of this drug bust

I think it means to turn informant, giving up somebody further up the chain, in hopes of a lighter sentence or freedom.

[sprq]

Will the Mr Bigs be arrested, convicted and given 25-year sentences or the death penalty, as are all the small time mules caught at Thai airports and border crossings?

The war on drugs is stupid wherever it's waged but the Thai war on drugs is even worse: it's a war on the powerless.

[luckytrev]

The tee shirt on the arrested guy on the left says it all

[h90]

They must have had a tip off.......no way they could have found these people otherwise....

Ok....missed the first part...they did get a tip off.....

Usually the competitors tip off the police....that keeps the prices up.

The drug problem can't be solved with police force. Police action can only keep the profit up. Often enough the big drug dealer have their finger also in politics so nothing will ever change.

Think of: Normal pharmacies would be allowed to sell heroin. There would be no money for the dealer to make. No point of get the kids addicted. The addicted one wouldn't need to steal and prostitute for drugs that are full with dirt (washing powder for example). After a crazy time the first couple of years 90% of the problems would be gone in 10 years.

But also no one would bribe police and politics....

[SunSeek01]

You got that right H90, it's the legal/correction system that won't let it go. Even in the States, founded by Puritans, we would probably not mind much. The tide is turning slowly but there is so much easy payoff money to the Pols it makes it hard. People would probably never believe what goes on if they could see what goes on, in my view.

[HerbalEd]

Yeah right, only 2 were monitored????

Better had it let go to Australia in a controlled manner or replaced by milk powder and watched where the transport was going and who was behind it.

These 2 arrests for 147 KG is a bit lame, but yeah probably some cops tipped off the guys behind and made early arrests, clever copper work

You call busting 147kg of heroin "a bit lame"?? Really?? You're very hard to please, huh?

[HerbalEd]

It was the Aussie police who tipped of the thai police so they should be thanking the Aussies .

That being said I agree that should have replaced the heroin with a substitute and tracked it to the other end.

Unless they flip it's a great bust but once again the major players are still in play.

Given that the Australian police tipped off the Thai police, one can assume the "other end" is already being taken care of.

[Rorri]

Um, hate to be a party pooper, but the Thai police did NOT bust a transnational drug ring, even your story says it was from an Australian Federal police tip off, so it goes to reason, the bust was in fact by the Aussies hard work. If they had not been tipped off then it is unlikely the Thai police would have acted.

[Rorri]

Costas2008, on 26 Mar 2014 - 17:22, said:

Pongsapas said police had been closely monitoring the two suspects for some time before making an arrest.

Had all of this heroin found its way onto the streets of Australia, it would have been worth more than three billion baht, said Pongsapas.

Australians, for once in your lives, be grateful to the Thai Police.

Costas2008. your comment is simply ridiculous, did you not read that the Thai police acted on an Australian tip off, why should Australia be grateful. I think they would be grateful it the Thai police actually do their own intelligence and then "bust" the dealers and SUPPLIERS.