An extraordinary intervention unfolded today as the police moved in on a network of drug smugglers operating through Thailand and Laos, seizing in excess of 100,000 illicit tablets. The drug smuggling pathway which originated from Laos had been designed to take advantage of the traditional observance of Buddhist holy days when Laotians refrain from participating in activities which are considered immoral.
At the helm of the operation was Rutthaphon Naowarat, the supremo of Buriram Provincial Police, co-leading alongside deputies Narongsak Phromtha and Kongchat Lueangsomthap. Overseeing the operation was Wichan Krachangpoth, the executive lieutenant of Buriram Provincial Police and Chief of the narcotics control unit. The operation was a joint effort with contributions from various units including men from the 22nd Special Warfare Group, Troops from Suranaree Task Force and the Royal Thai Army, or the 26th Special Forces Regiment, along with administrative officials of Mueang Buriram, Satuek, and Ban Dan districts, who joined forces with the Buriram Provincial Police, putting up a strong united front against the narcotic smugglers.
The operation achieved major success, breaking apart four extensive drug smuggling circuits. The first network apprehended included a duo of 19-year-olds from Buriram province, who were found to possess 1,934 methamphetamine tablets. The second network seized involved three males from Buriram, aged 17, 18, and 21, holding a massive collection of 100,000 methamphetamine tablets. They were nabbed in the Satuek district while trying to flee into the Mun River.
The third incident witnessed the arrest of two males from Buriram of age 23 and 25, found with 85,980 methamphetamine tablets and 959 grams of crystal methamphetamine. The fourth, and final network led to the capture of an un-named 35-year-old male from Buriram, found with 20,000 methamphetamine tablets in the Satuek district. The operation culminated in the dismantling of four drug trafficking networks and eight individuals arrested across four different operations. A total of 207,914 methamphetamine tablets and 959 grams of crystal methamphetamine were confiscated in the process.
All arrested individuals have been indicted for allied distribution, unauthorized selling of category 1 narcotics (methamphetamine or meth), instigating spread among the public, and indulging in consumption of category 1 narcotics (methamphetamine or meth), all in directive breach of the law.
Rutthaphon Naowarat, leading the Buriram Provincial Police, stressed the continual efforts required from various government bodies in the war against drugs, each contributing vital resources and information. According to intelligence sources, it was known in advance that narcotics would be transported from a neighbouring country between September 6 and 8. A task force was mobilized on September 7, given the fact that September 8 is a Buddhist holy day when Laotians adopt moral comportment. Precisely because of this observance, on the night of September 7, 100,000 methamphetamine tablets were delivered, stocked in the Maha Sarakham province, and subsequently collected by Buriram-based smugglers who eventually landed in the police net in the Satuek district of Buriram.
Astonishing operations like these can be traced back to The Thaiger’s latest stories on their new Facebook page, the link to which can be found here.
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