Raids on 20 premises in the North and Central regions resulted inthe arrest of four suspects and seizure of about 100 million baht of assets from three major drug networks, The Narcotics Suppression Bureau said.
NSB commissioner Pol Lt Gen Sarayut Sa-nguanpokai said that onTuesday morning police searched premises in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Tak, Saraburi and Ayutthaya provinces. They had court warrants for the arrest of nine suspects.
During the searches, police impounded cash, cars, vans, tractors, a bus, motorcycles, blocks of land with buildings and land title deeds – about 60 items in total worth about 100 million baht.
Of the nine suspects wanted on court warrants, four were found and takem into custody. One was Chaiwat Liangwong, 40, an alleged member of the Nong Talo drug network.
Pol Gen Chinapat Sarasin, a deputy national police chief in charge of the crackdown, took part in the questioning of Mr Chaiwat. Mr Chaiwat denied any involvement in the network.
The crackdown on Tuesday was linked to previous police action against three drug networks in 2022.
They first moved against the Nai Hoy Thamin drug network, arresting three drug couriers, seizing 7 million methamphetamine pills in Ayutthaya and adjacent areas and impounding 11 million baht worth of assets. Three other suspects were subsequently arrested and assets worth 35 million baht seized in the North.
The second move was against the so-called Logistic Trucks drug network. An employee of a delivery company in the North was arrested with 2 million meth pills at Sop Prap checkpoint in Lampang.
The third action was against the Nong Talo drug network. Three suspected couriers were arrested with 279 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine in Phatthalung, Pol Lt Gen Sarayut said.