Chiang Mai anti-drug police chief arrested in Chiang Rai for drug delivery

[boomerangutang]

last week, I took a motorbike ride up in the hills on the Thai-Burmese border, 8 to 30 Km SW of Mae Sai. I was allowed to go through a few internal border checks on the Thai side, and then took a clandestine 1.5 hour stroll along a footpath in to Burma. There's a stretch of the border which had Thai soldiers posted about 30 meters apart, standing on the road with machetes and firearms. They were all looking up the steep hill on the Burmese side. It appeared as though that's such a porous part of the border, that Burmese drug runners could possibly shimmy down that steep brush-choked hill, cross the road, then dart down on the Thai side to a large village 80 meters away.

[webfact]

Accused drug buster officer involved with major drug trafficking ring



BANGKOK: -- Royal Thai Police deputy commissioner Pol Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen said that the police officer of Chiang Mai who was earlier arrested on drug charge had been engaged in drug trafficking network operated by Col Yi Ze.

He said investigation revealed that the officer Pol Lt-Col Chamnan Poongpaichit, deputy superintendent of Chai Prakarn police station in Chiang Mai, had been in contacts with major drug trafficking network for several times before gaining trust to be designated to trafficking in such a huge amount of drugs.

The officer was arrested at a checkpoint in Huey Kai, Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai last week while driving in a Toyota Fortuner.

More than 800,000 methamphetamine tablets and one kilogramme of Ice were found in the van he was driving from Chiang Rai province to Bangkok.

A search at one of his home also produced a safe with hidden gold bullions. Cutting open the safe with gas, 150 gold bullions are found, each weighing 10-baht weight. A baht weight of gold is equivalent to 15.244 grammes.

The accused drug buster reportedly admitted that he agreed to deliver the drugs worth about 164 million baht to a customer in Bangkok in exchange for three million baht service fees.

He also told police interrogators that he badly in need of money to repay his three million baht in debts with the Royal Thai Police Cooperatives and for two houses he bought on high purchase.

The officer was later dismissed from the services pending an investigation.

If found guilty, maximum penalty is death, the deputy commissioner said.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/accused-drug-buster-officer-involved-major-drug-trafficking-ring/


-- Thai PBS 2014-08-20

[96tehtarp]

This is how I expect they would pull a deep undercover "bad cop" out of an operation. They would arrest him.

[Chang_paarp]

So he had 22.866Kg of gold in a safe, but was not able to pay 3mil baht for home repayments. Something does not add up. Either he was holding the gold for someone else, in which case he is in very big trouble and not with the authorities, or he needs to come up with another excuse. The off chance that the reporting is incorrect or inaccurate is another issue, but he will in all sorts of dark stuff either way.

[Always18]

"Col. Yi Ze"?..............just another example of the unspoken Myanmar-Thailand "border cooperation".

The elephant in the room that is slowly being recognised as such........................

[pedro01]

This is how I expect they would pull a deep undercover "bad cop" out of an operation. They would arrest him.

PMSL - you think he was undercover?

[96tehtarp]

This is how I expect they would pull a deep undercover "bad cop" out of an operation. They would arrest him.

PMSL - you think he was undercover?

Not really, it's wild speculation on my part bordering on fantasy. I have way too much time on my hands.

It would be a perfect undercover op. Have an undercover cop act as a dirty drug dealing cop and let him operate for a couple of years. When it's time to pull him out there is only one way to do it - arrest him. Probably pure fantasy on my part. It'd make a good Thai TV series, no?.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Whenever I read about an arrest like this, I always have trouble deciding between believing:

a. this criminal was arrested because he was breaking the law by people who actually want to enforce the law.

or

b. this criminal was arrested because he pissed off or otherwise was at odds with bigger and more influential criminals.

I usually end up leaning toward believing B.

[Balance]

I am amazed that the cops at the checkpoint actually searched a MR BIG COP car.....obviously he pissed off somebody that was MR BIGGER.

Yes, probably committed the carnal sin: not sharing enough of the wealth.

[TheFishman1]

Police is a business here that's all

[nuananddon]

Fox guarding the hen house?

[Gandtee]

As a supposedly upholder of the law he should receive maximum punishment. This might encourage some of his fellow officers who are involved in unlawful activities to desist. Things have changed,I hope? and they are now not above the law. Again, I hope.

[retarius]

In such, cases we, the public, never find out how it finishes. There will be no news about how this fellow fares in court, or indeed if he even goes to court. I think that all these drug busts use the same amphetamine tablets over and over again, and it is simply a PR stunt. Most drug running is small time stuff, not millions of tablets....how come we never hear of the guy caught with 1000 tablets? Or 100 tablets? There must be many more of instances of small scale stuff than all of these huge drug busts we read about every week.

[96tehtarp]

In such, cases we, the public, never find out how it finishes. There will be no news about how this fellow fares in court, or indeed if he even goes to court. I think that all these drug busts use the same amphetamine tablets over and over again, and it is simply a PR stunt. Most drug running is small time stuff, not millions of tablets....how come we never hear of the guy caught with 1000 tablets? Or 100 tablets? There must be many more of instances of small scale stuff than all of these huge drug busts we read about every week.

"In such, cases we, the public, never find out how it finishes. There will be no news about how this fellow fares in court, or indeed if he even goes to court."

I just watched the accused and an accomplice on Thai TV news. I have a feeling we will hear more about this case.

"I think that all these drug busts use the same amphetamine tablets over and over again, and it is simply a PR stunt."

It is definitely a PR stunt, however I doubt it's the same tablets over and over again. I don't know what the estimated consumption of ya-ba tablets is in Thailand. I would venture guess it's in the millions of tablets per week nationwide. It's addictive and tolerance sets in quickly. They have to take more and more.

"Most drug running is small time stuff, not millions of tablets....how come we never hear of the guy caught with 1000 tablets? Or 100 tablets?"

They catch them too. They had a bust here not long ago in my little village. The dealer was selling out of his mother's noodle shop. An undercover cop dressed as an insane homeless bum cased the operation for about three weeks. After the bust the dealer was sentenced to 17 years and 18 weeks imprisonment. My wife commented afterwards; "What kind of schizophrenic bum has a new mobile phone?

Another dealer not far away who was out on early release for a previous narcotics conviction got picked up the other day. He is awaiting sentencing. He'd started dealing again.

A distant relative of mine (second cousin in law) recently had an early morning visit from a lone copper who walked in the open front door. Once inside the policeman saw on the table and unlicensed handgun and one ya-ba tablet. It was my cousin's first offence and he got two years probation.

Neither of the above three recent incidents are newsworthy as they happen on a daily basis all over Thailand.

I got stopped by a police roadblock nearby a month ago while riding without a helmet. The coppers were stopping all the teenagers under the pretense of "no helmet" ... they were looking for ya-ba. I was allowed to go home and get my helmet, not fined, and given a lecture in really bad English about safety first! They caught some unsuspecting kids with a few tabs in their pockets.

"There must be many more of instances of small scale stuff than all of these huge drug busts we read about every week. "

There are, every day. Methamphetamine is everywhere and is very popular.

[Benmart]

Whenever I read about an arrest like this, I always have trouble deciding between believing:

a. this criminal was arrested because he was breaking the law by people who actually want to enforce the law.

or

b. this criminal was arrested because he pissed off or otherwise was at odds with bigger and more influential criminals.

I usually end up leaning toward believing B.

The possibilities are certainly numerous.

However, I hope this housecleaning is a genuine A selection.

[96tehtarp]

Whenever I read about an arrest like this, I always have trouble deciding between believing:

a. this criminal was arrested because he was breaking the law by people who actually want to enforce the law.

or

b. this criminal was arrested because he pissed off or otherwise was at odds with bigger and more influential criminals.

I usually end up leaning toward believing B.

The possibilities are certainly numerous.

However, I hope this housecleaning is a genuine A selection.

Most likely it was a combination of both A -and- B.

[Benmart]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Some things never change and never will. Too much money involved.

so true..... this is not an isolated incident. This is how prohibition works....Same all round the world. Anyone who thinks it's gonna change is delusional.

Change is no delusion IMO.

The faces, names and circumstances change. What remains static are those that do what is easy, illegal and immoral. The tune they dance to is a quick step to "The dark side".

I prefer to pay my way, obey the law and avoid those that don't.

Think, Think, Think.

[jcisco]

I just realised he didn't even bother to conceal it, say in a door or something like that. Even drove it himself, must of thought he was untouchable, not effort to mitigate risk at all.

Damn what a feeling that must of been!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Strangebrew]

And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

[Strangebrew]

You can almost bet this guy was the sacrifice for bigger dealers up the ladder. I bet they transport it over the border buy pulley system to waiting Van driven by local cop.

[me313]

I do wonder if this same arrested drug-trafficking officer had arrested small-time dealers in his area?

[Paul888]

I am amazed that the cops at the checkpoint actually searched a MR BIG COP car.....obviously he pissed off somebody that was MR BIGGER.

I am no expert but my guess is that the vast majority of drug busts come more as a result of tip offs or "turn the other way" bribes being paid late than they do diligent investigative work.

This guy can cover his ass by saying it must have been planted in his car by somebody who wanted to bring him down which could well be true and could also be related to why his car was searched in the first place.