Navy foils marijuana shipment across Mekong

[webfact]

Navy foils marijuana shipment across Mekong
By The Nation

 

NAKHON PHANOM: -- A Lao man was arrested in Nakhon Phanom early on Thursday for allegedly attempting to smuggle 840 kilograms of marijuana across the Mekong River. 

 

The Navy’s Mekong Patrol Operation Command announced the arrest at an 8am press conference.

 

Capt Natthakiart Monkhunthod, in charge of patrols between Bueng Kan and Mukdahan, said officers on one of the Navy’s vessels spotted two boats crossing from the Lao side to Tambon Chaiyaburi in Tha Uthane district at 1am.

 

Natthakiart said one of the boats, which appeared empty of cargo, sped back to Laos after the skipper saw the Navy patrol. 

 

The second, heavily laden, was chased down. Its skipper, identified as Thaotone Aksornwonge, was arrested after a search uncovered 840 blocks of marijuana onboard, each weighing a kilogram.

 

The Lao said he’d been paid Bt50,000 to deliver the cannabis to a Thai waiting across the river.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/breakingnews/30316929

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-06-01

[BigBadGeordie]

And not a single submarine needed.

[TheLobster]

2 minutes ago, BigBadGeordie said:

And not a single submarine needed.

Damn, beat me to it.

[Farang99]

9 hours ago, BigBadGeordie said:

And not a single submarine needed.

No no! They will deploy the submarines and the aircraft carrier in the Mekong, where they will act as very effective barriers to the drug and people smugglers.

[Blackheart1916]

Ha ha what a great headline!! I can picture the sailors sitting up on deck wrapping foils!!

[maximillian]

i'd be interested in a block.

[natway09]

That's the 3rd time this year the Armed Forces have ruined my day.

Next we will have to drink elicit booze

[NCFC]

It was him munching on a foot-long submarine that gave the game away.

[plachon]

I'm guessing things must be getting a bit tight for the boat drivers along that part of the Mekong who used to be gainfully employed smuggling wood and wildlife into Thailand and Thai-produced goods back to Laos. The wood and wildlife are virtually gone, while Lao people can so easily nip across and buy goods in Thailand these days, that smuggling is hardly worth it. So it makes perfect sense to switch to drugs running. Ganja has always been grown on both sides of the Mekong in that part of Isaan, controlled by local politicians and "men in uniform", but there does seem to have been a definite uptick in drug busts recently, suggesting more dope being grown and smuggled than a few years ago. The Navy need to have a rationale for their existence on the Mekong, and making the odd drug bust provides it, so long as it's only a small proportion of the overall trade.