Taskforce hits major drug gang led by murder inmate

[Lite Beer]

Taskforce hits major drug gang led by murder inmate
Piyanut Tumnukasetchai
The Sunday Nation 
 

Armed soldiers and anti-narcotics officials take part in yesterday's raid

 

BANGKOK: -- An Army and police joint taskforce yesterday raided six locations in Nonthaburi and Bangkok in a crackdown on a drug ring allegedly led by murder inmate Daeng Sadphum - seizing Bt110 million in assets and money frozen in bank accounts.

Office of the Narcotics Control Board deputy chief Phoemphong Chawalit early yesterday morning led some 100 officers to search the six locations, including two houses in Nonthaburi's Bang Kruay and Muang districts, three houses in Bangkok's Sai Mai and Don Muang districts and a condominium at Sukhumvit 48.

Phoemphong said Daeng, currently imprisoned at Klong Prem Prison, had allegedly started dealing drugs in Wat Makok community before becoming a major distributor of northern drugs in Bangkok.

He allegedly bought assets under names of his wife, son and mother and opened shoe shops for his wife in Pathum Wan and Siam Square.

He said Daeng's wife and mother would be asked to explain the origins of the seized assets including gold ornaments.

The raids followed the arrest of Daeng's alleged accomplice and the seizure of 142,000 yaba pills and crystal meth, which was transported by a logistic company from Chiang Rai to Bangkok.

Phoemphong said police were investigating Daeng's relatives and hoped to make more arrests and seize more assets in a case that the ONCB had worked for three years.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Taskforce-hits-major-drug-gang-led-by-murder-inmat-30240104.html

 

[thenation]2014-08-03[/thenation]

[FireMedic]

This is the first somewhat big fish size bust since I've been here. Enough of the poor guys with nothing to lose.....these guys are the ones that need to be taken down. 

[NongKhaiKid]

Please Sir,  I have a question.

 

" If this kingpin was operating a major syndicate from behind bars what were the prison authorities doing ? "

 

 

[GeorgeO]

Drugs are a cancer amongst communities, and must be eradicated at all costs...!! Once again, the good General demonstrates that he means business, and aims to clear out the garbage by aiming right at the top of the heap. Great work, and let's hope we can see more of these successful raids. 

Edited August 3, 2014 by GeorgeO

[hyperdimension]

Drugs are a cancer amongst communities, and must be eradicated at all costs...!!

 

Don't you think it doesn't make sense that some recreational drugs are legal and others (that may even be less harmful) are illegal? So by "eradicated at all costs" you accept the many lives and livelihoods lost and over a trillion USD of taxpayer money wasted on the global war on (some) drugs? (e.g. See War on drugs a trillion-dollar failure by Richard Branson)

 

 

clear out the garbage by aiming right at the top of the heap.

 

"top of the heap"? I doubt this guy is a kingpin. If he was he would never have spent any time in prison.

 

 

 

the good General demonstrates that he means business

 

The smarter way for "the good General" to demonstrate "that he means business" is to legalize all illegal drugs and get the Government Pharmaceutical Organization to manufacture recreational drugs and operate a regulated recreational drug industry. That would eradicate all illegal drugs and related criminal empires.

[BSJ]

Good work by the Army and  law enforcers.  Strip this criminal and his family of all their assets and put the criminal in solitary confinement for the next 10-20 years.

[Ricardo]

Please Sir,  I have a question.

 

" If this kingpin was operating a major syndicate from behind bars what were the prison authorities doing ? "

 

 

 

Mulling a proposal to debate forming a committee to consider investigating, and recommend possible actions, in the fullness of time & at the appropriate juncture ?

Edited August 3, 2014 by Ricardo

[NongKhaiKid]

 

Please Sir,  I have a question.

 

" If this kingpin was operating a major syndicate from behind bars what were the prison authorities doing ? "

 

 

 

Mulling a proposal to debate forming a committee to consider investigating, and recommend possible actions, in the fullness of time & at the appropriate juncture ?

 

Yes Minister !

[TVGerry]

Drugs are a cancer amongst communities, and must be eradicated at all costs...!!

 
Don't you think it doesn't make sense that some recreational drugs are legal and others (that may even be less harmful) are illegal? So by "eradicated at all costs" you accept the many lives and livelihoods lost and over a trillion USD of taxpayer money wasted on the global war on (some) drugs? (e.g. See War on drugs a trillion-dollar failure by Richard Branson)
 
 

clear out the garbage by aiming right at the top of the heap.

 
"top of the heap"? I doubt this guy is a kingpin. If he was he would never have spent any time in prison.
 
 
 

the good General demonstrates that he means business

 
The smarter way for "the good General" to demonstrate "that he means business" is to legalize all illegal drugs and get the Government Pharmaceutical Organization to manufacture recreational drugs and operate a regulated recreational drug industry. That would eradicate all illegal drugs and related criminal empires.

Another lefty who wants to legalize drugs.

And yes in all my yeara here, I've not heard of a drug dealer with that much money being busted. So yes, good job general!

[DrLom]

Please Sir,  I have a question.

 

" If this kingpin was operating a major syndicate from behind bars what were the prison authorities doing ? "

 

 

Collecting gold ornaments, of course ...

[DrLom]

 

 

The smarter way for "the good General" to demonstrate "that he means business" is to legalize all illegal drugs and get the Government Pharmaceutical Organization to manufacture recreational drugs and operate a regulated recreational drug industry. That would eradicate all illegal drugs and related criminal empires.

 

That would eradicate all illegal drugs? Wow! You are on a hyper dimension.

 

Operate a regulated recreational drug industry?

 

High, by the way! Eradicating related criminal empires?

Edited August 3, 2014 by DrLom

[ginjag]

Good work by the Army and  law enforcers.  Strip this criminal and his family of all their assets and put the criminal in solitary confinement for the next 10-20 years.

 

I know I am hitting on a touchy subject once again and raking over hot coals, but this IS related.

 

Had Thaksin gone about his war on drugs getting hold of these types and the bigger fish He would have got a some praise for that.  Instead he took the street kids out as they were easy targets to get the publicity he wanted.

 

This is my honest answer, the big fish please then the minnows will not get into so many money/crime/related ventures.

 

Big drug money has it's price, if you do not pay up you get done so drug users go into crime /theft to sell off and clear debts incurred.

[sweatalot]

[/quote]
 
The smarter way for "the good General" to demonstrate "that he means business" is to legalize all illegal drugs and get the Government Pharmaceutical Organization to manufacture recreational drugs and operate a regulated recreational drug industry. That would eradicate all illegal drugs and related criminal empires.
[/quote]


The number of junkees would increase and their death would be much cheaper

[noitom]

This is an in prison bust of a big in prison guy. The Thai military dictatorship will only have credibility when they haul off the prison Thai Mr. Bigs running the prison and the bankers doing the laundering. To bust an inmate already in prison is a joke when there are no associated prison officials, government, military, police, and banking busts of Thai Mr. Bigs. How could this guy operate in prison without backing and collusion of officials and outside interests in banking?

[Chainsaw]

[/quote]
 
The smarter way for "the good General" to demonstrate "that he means business" is to legalize all illegal drugs and get the Government Pharmaceutical Organization to manufacture recreational drugs and operate a regulated recreational drug industry. That would eradicate all illegal drugs and related criminal empires.
[/quote]


The number of junkees would increase and their death would be much cheaper

 

Since Portugal regulated all drugs a few years back the number of addicts has continued to diminish considerably. Since cannabis legalisation in Colorado, crime has diminished by 10% in the first year - go figure.
 

[siampolee]

hyperdimension post t# 5

 

The smarter way for "the good General" to demonstrate "that he means business" is to legalize all illegal drugs and get the Government Pharmaceutical Organization to manufacture recreational drugs and operate a regulated recreational drug industry. That would eradicate all illegal drugs and related criminal empires.

 

 

+ 5 ^

 

Controversial as your post may be it would indeed  be the answer..

 

The U.S. outlawed alcohol and look what a dubious growth industry that created along with certain  political dynasties to boot too.

 

Then the error of those ways was seen, however the damage was done by then

 

 

Edited August 3, 2014 by siampolee

[northernjohn]

 

Drugs are a cancer amongst communities, and must be eradicated at all costs...!!

 

Don't you think it doesn't make sense that some recreational drugs are legal and others (that may even be less harmful) are illegal? So by "eradicated at all costs" you accept the many lives and livelihoods lost and over a trillion USD of taxpayer money wasted on the global war on (some) drugs? (e.g. See War on drugs a trillion-dollar failure by Richard Branson)

 

 

clear out the garbage by aiming right at the top of the heap.

 

"top of the heap"? I doubt this guy is a kingpin. If he was he would never have spent any time in prison.

 

 

 

the good General demonstrates that he means business

 

The smarter way for "the good General" to demonstrate "that he means business" is to legalize all illegal drugs and get the Government Pharmaceutical Organization to manufacture recreational drugs and operate a regulated recreational drug industry. That would eradicate all illegal drugs and related criminal empires.

 

 

Well as always talk is cheap. 

Start out by looking at other countries who have made progress in the war on drugs. Portugal has made an incredible amount of progress and they did decrimalize a certain amount of drugs. Plus I believe put a limit on what you could have. Not only have they saved a lot of money in the war but the drug use has gone down.

 

Why would legalizing all drugs if they were made by a pharmaceutical company stop the illegal drugs? There is so much profit in them that the pharmaceutical companies could not compete.

 

That plus a lot of people would not like to be seen openly buying drugs. They would fear the cops would watch them. That along with the foreigners fearing recrimination. Just look at the paranoia going on now about the enforcement of the Visa laws.

 

Let us say they do legalize all drugs would they then say you can do as much as you want be as crazy as you want and it well be OK because it is legal drugs. Where would you draw the line. It's not like legal alcohol doesn't cause us enough problems now. Lets add to them.

[GeorgeO]

 

Drugs are a cancer amongst communities, and must be eradicated at all costs...!!

 

Don't you think it doesn't make sense that some recreational drugs are legal and others (that may even be less harmful) are illegal? So by "eradicated at all costs" you accept the many lives and livelihoods lost and over a trillion USD of taxpayer money wasted on the global war on (some) drugs? (e.g. See War on drugs a trillion-dollar failure by Richard Branson)

 

 

clear out the garbage by aiming right at the top of the heap.

 

"top of the heap"? I doubt this guy is a kingpin. If he was he would never have spent any time in prison.

 

 

 

the good General demonstrates that he means business

 

The smarter way for "the good General" to demonstrate "that he means business" is to legalize all illegal drugs and get the Government Pharmaceutical Organization to manufacture recreational drugs and operate a regulated recreational drug industry. That would eradicate all illegal drugs and related criminal empires.

 

 

You have your opinion, I have mine, but as someone who has managed to reach the age of 60 without having to rely upon what you refer to as "recreational drugs", I can tell you I'd rather stick with my opinion.

 

Those "soft drugs" that you are alluding to are what lead on to harder drugs and severe associated problems. I would rather they went the other way and made your "recreational drugs" illegal too...!!

[klauskunkel]

Please Sir,  I have a question.

 

" If this kingpin was operating a major syndicate from behind bars what were the prison authorities doing ? "

 

 

enjoying their inactive posts...

[hyperdimension]

Start out by looking at other countries who have made progress in the war on drugs. Portugal has made an incredible amount of progress and they did decrimalize a certain amount of drugs. Plus I believe put a limit on what you could have. Not only have they saved a lot of money in the war but the drug use has gone down.

 

Thailand should take notice of Portugal (as you and others have mentioned) and other countries who have decided to shift away from the zero-tolerance stance, as it has been clear for many years that "just say no" doesn't work, just as it was clear that alcohol prohibition didn't work.

 

 

Why would legalizing all drugs if they were made by a pharmaceutical company stop the illegal drugs?

 

Legalizing all drugs directly results in no more illegal drugs. Those who don't understand this should read up on discrete mathematics, particularly logic and set theory.

 

 

 

There is so much profit in them that the pharmaceutical companies could not compete.

 

Mass legal production and sale by pharmaceutical companies would reduce the prices. The criminal producers would not be able to compete, especially when the products from pharmaceutical companies would be of higher quality and safer to take.

 

 

a lot of people would not like to be seen openly buying drugs.

 

If what they wanted was legal then there would be no problem. Do you see people scared of going to buy a pack of Sildenafil ("Sidegra", "Viagra", "Kamagra", etc.), which is widely used recreationally to enhance the experience of sexual activity?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 3, 2014 by hyperdimension

[hyperdimension]

would they then say you can do as much as you want be as crazy as you want and it well be OK because it is legal drugs.

 

No. Just as we see "drink responsibly" messages, there would be similar harm minimization messages for other drugs.

 

[hyperdimension]

The smarter way for "the good General" to demonstrate "that he means business" is to legalize all illegal drugs and get the Government Pharmaceutical Organization to manufacture recreational drugs and operate a regulated recreational drug industry. That would eradicate all illegal drugs and related criminal empires.

The number of junkees would increase and their death would be much cheaper

 

Let them die off. People should take responsibility for their own actions, but they should be educated of the consequences beforehand so that it is clear that they willfully made a well-informed decision to try something dangerous. It might be similar to participating in extreme sports, in which you could become debilitated for the rest of your life or die if something goes wrong.

 

Knowing that consuming heroin via injection can be very harmful, would you immediately go and try it if it became legal to purchase and consume? I wouldn't. I would try other drugs that I know are much less harmful such as cannabis, MDMA and psilocybin mushrooms.
 

[hyperdimension]

as someone who has managed to reach the age of 60 without having to rely upon what you refer to as "recreational drugs", I can tell you I'd rather stick with my opinion.

 

Have you ever had a cup of coffee? a glass of wine? A bottle of beer? How about chocolate, which contains a number of drugs: What drugs are in chocolate?

 

[outre99]

Another lefty who wants to legalize drugs.

And yes in all my yeara here, I've not heard of a drug dealer with that much money being busted. So yes, good job general!

 

 

It has nothing to do with ones political leanings.  It has everything to do with an intellectually honest person observing reality and making logical conclusions.  Fact: alcohol when abused or addicted to is very damaging to individuals and communities.  Fact: prohibition doesn't work as the misbegotten 18 ammendment to US consitution and decades long trillion dollar war on drugs has demonstrated.  Fact: large illegal markets always attract suppliers with their artificially high profit margins.   So, as hyperdimension pointed out it makes no sense to spend trillions of dollars and destory millions of lives prohibiting only some drugs.  The "degree of damage" argument doesn't hold water.  Pot is much less dangerous than alcohol or pharmacuticals.  Just read the side effects disclosure next time you are purchasing legal drugs.  There's no rational rhyme or reason for the current separation of legal and illegal drugs.  By the way, food is also a drug, and there are many people who have addictive relationship to food.  Should the food be banned? 

 

The society is ending up paying 3 times,  first individually to purchase drugs, and then collectively to fund the failed prohibition enforcement and to house the victims of that enforcement.   A better approach would be to make all drugs legal, regulate and tax them so the new revenue can be spent on improving society, educating young people about the consecuences of drug abuse, and provide treatments to people who can't handle them.

 

The whole premise of prohibition is intrusive and arrogant to the core.  The govenment should not dictate to individuals what they can and cannot ingest and how much.  The concept that the government can presuppose and legislate that if I ingest X, it will make me commit Y is preposterous and goes against the fundamental principle of "presumption of innocense".  If I want to have a couple of glasses of wine, or joints, or whatever, or if i finish a bottle of vodka or a bottle of pills  by myself, as long as i don't disturb anybody else or infringe on anybody elses rights I should be able to do as I please.  The consequences of my actions are mine alone to deal with since they only affect me.  Now if i start disturbing others, infringing on others' safety or property that's the behavior that has to be checked and for which we have devised a criminal code.

 

I am yet to hear a resonable and factually accurate argument for the "war on drugs".  Care to provide one?

 

 

 

 
 

[sanuk711]

I'm involved in the war on drugs.................. I'm on drug's side......................

Edited August 4, 2014 by metisdead
Font reset to default forum font.

[Bluespunk]

[quote name="TVGerry" post="8190932" timestamp="1407033383"]

[quote name="hyperdimension" post="8190579" timestamp="1407027417"][quote name="GeorgeO" post="8190487" timestamp="1407024991"]

Drugs are a cancer amongst communities, and must be eradicated at all costs...!![/quote] 
Don't you think it doesn't make sense that some recreational drugs are legal and others (that may even be less harmful) are illegal? So by "eradicated at all costs" you accept the many lives and livelihoods lost and over a trillion USD of taxpayer money wasted on the global war on (some) drugs? (e.g. See War on drugs a trillion-dollar failure by Richard Branson)
 
 

clear out the garbage by aiming right at the top of the heap.

 
"top of the heap"? I doubt this guy is a kingpin. If he was he would never have spent any time in prison.
 
 
 

the good General demonstrates that he means business

 
The smarter way for "the good General" to demonstrate "that he means business" is to legalize all illegal drugs and get the Government Pharmaceutical Organization to manufacture recreational drugs and operate a regulated recreational drug industry. That would eradicate all illegal drugs and related criminal empires.[/quote]
Another lefty who wants to legalize drugs.

And yes in all my yeara here, I've not heard of a drug dealer with that much money being busted. So yes, good job general![/quote]

Legalising drugs has nothing to do with politics. A lot of right wing libertarians and free marketeers would legalise them and many leftist regimes/parties are implacably opposed to such legalisation.

[northernjohn]

 

Another lefty who wants to legalize drugs.

And yes in all my yeara here, I've not heard of a drug dealer with that much money being busted. So yes, good job general!

 

 

It has nothing to do with ones political leanings.  It has everything to do with an intellectually honest person observing reality and making logical conclusions.  Fact: alcohol when abused or addicted to is very damaging to individuals and communities.  Fact: prohibition doesn't work as the misbegotten 18 ammendment to US consitution and decades long trillion dollar war on drugs has demonstrated.  Fact: large illegal markets always attract suppliers with their artificially high profit margins.   So, as hyperdimension pointed out it makes no sense to spend trillions of dollars and destory millions of lives prohibiting only some drugs.  The "degree of damage" argument doesn't hold water.  Pot is much less dangerous than alcohol or pharmacuticals.  Just read the side effects disclosure next time you are purchasing legal drugs.  There's no rational rhyme or reason for the current separation of legal and illegal drugs.  By the way, food is also a drug, and there are many people who have addictive relationship to food.  Should the food be banned? 

 

The society is ending up paying 3 times,  first individually to purchase drugs, and then collectively to fund the failed prohibition enforcement and to house the victims of that enforcement.   A better approach would be to make all drugs legal, regulate and tax them so the new revenue can be spent on improving society, educating young people about the consecuences of drug abuse, and provide treatments to people who can't handle them.

 

The whole premise of prohibition is intrusive and arrogant to the core.  The govenment should not dictate to individuals what they can and cannot ingest and how much.  The concept that the government can presuppose and legislate that if I ingest X, it will make me commit Y is preposterous and goes against the fundamental principle of "presumption of innocense".  If I want to have a couple of glasses of wine, or joints, or whatever, or if i finish a bottle of vodka or a bottle of pills  by myself, as long as i don't disturb anybody else or infringe on anybody elses rights I should be able to do as I please.  The consequences of my actions are mine alone to deal with since they only affect me.  Now if i start disturbing others, infringing on others' safety or property that's the behavior that has to be checked and for which we have devised a criminal code.

 

I am yet to hear a resonable and factually accurate argument for the "war on drugs".  Care to provide one?

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

The war on drugs can never be won. But legalizing all drugs will not help a bit either. For some it will be like reaching heaven. For others it will be like greasing the rails on the down hill slide into hell. As I said earlier and no one seems to be able to answer it. What would be the limit of drugs you could ingest at one time? Who is going to say?

 

The answer was not even on this planet. It had that big word IF in it. If this if that if only if if if if and on the dreams go. This is a real world and as I said the profit on illegal drugs is huge. They will just cut their prices to the point where a for profit company plus tax can not compete.

 

Also I don't believe for a minute that no one will mind being seen going in and out of the legal drug dispensers. There will always be people who feel guilty about the amount they use and don't want their boss or neighbors to know about it.There will be the one's who feel the police might follow them or start to keep them under observation.

 

So far in my opinion some posters just want to make it easier to get their drugs and have no sound plan for dealing with the problem

 

We know the war on drugs is a loosing one. We know no manufacture is going to produce them if they can't make money. So how about starting an educational program in the schools. How about testimonials from hard core drug users on how they got started with the softer drugs. How about a program that shows the extent of damage they can do to a person's body. Also throw in the they will make you feel good. Give them both sides of the story show them. It is not going to be an overnight fix but it will have long range results. For the legal end take a look at Portugal. It has been a while since this came up but a few years ago the same topic was on Thai Visa and Portugal had the most successful program in dealing with drugs. I have no reason to believe other countries have changed.

[rametindallas]

 

Drugs are a cancer amongst communities, and must be eradicated at all costs...!!

 

Don't you think it doesn't make sense that some recreational drugs are legal and others (that may even be less harmful) are illegal? So by "eradicated at all costs" you accept the many lives and livelihoods lost and over a trillion USD of taxpayer money wasted on the global war on (some) drugs? (e.g. See War on drugs a trillion-dollar failure by Richard Branson)

 

 

clear out the garbage by aiming right at the top of the heap.

 

"top of the heap"? I doubt this guy is a kingpin. If he was he would never have spent any time in prison.

 

 

 

the good General demonstrates that he means business

 

The smarter way for "the good General" to demonstrate "that he means business" is to legalize all illegal drugs and get the Government Pharmaceutical Organization to manufacture recreational drugs and operate a regulated recreational drug industry. That would eradicate all illegal drugs and related criminal empires.

 

Agreed. The government should get out of the business of legislating morals.

 

The criminal behavior of drug gangs, the untaxed profits being funneled into other criminal enterprises, and the corruption of enforcement authorities does more harm to society than the small percentage of the user population that can't handle their drugs. Those small percentage could be treated as medical conditions at a much lower cost, to society and the treasury, than incarceration which, in this case, hasn't stopped the criminal behavior.

 

Most adults who use alcohol, which is a much more dangerous drug than most (currently) illicit drugs, with no ill effects on society, their families, or their jobs.

[poweratradio]

In the photo the officer on the left looks like a farange. Could America's DEA be operating in Thailand in this bust. I was of the opinion that the various world government drug agencies were only allowed to investigate trans-shipment drug deals destined for outside Thailand.

[Basil B]

 
The smarter way for "the good General" to demonstrate "that he means business" is to legalize all illegal drugs and get the Government Pharmaceutical Organization to manufacture recreational drugs and operate a regulated recreational drug industry. That would eradicate all illegal drugs and related criminal empires.

The number of junkees would increase and their death would be much cheaper

 

Yeeh, turn millions into brain dead junkies...

 

Why not supply free drugs laced with arsenic to them, then at least they will not be a burden on the state.