PUBLISHED: January 4, 2024, at 6:00 a.m.
A Indonesian drug trafficking and important part of a transnational drug gang is being extradited to Thailand by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board ( ONCB) in collaboration with officials in Laos.
On Wednesday and Monday, Pol Lt. Gen. Panurat Lakboon, acting ONCB secretary-general and associate federal police commander, revealed the cooperation between the Ministry of Public Security and the police commissioner in Laos to apprehend 48 drug offenders who were hiding there.
One of them was Ong Gim Wah, 39, a Malay suspect who was apprehended in Laos on December 29 as part of an operation.
Since 2006, Mr. Ong is credited with obtaining drugs and working with pharmaceutical cartels in the Golden Triangle area. He had a one million baht wealth on his head.
According to Pol Lt. Gen. Panurat, Thai authorities have also seized more than 4.4 kilograms of cocaine pills, and his imprisonment may reduce the trade in cocaine, morphine, or crystal morphine by up to 70 %.
Pol Lt Gen Panurat also revealed a substance reduction campaign that took place between October and December of last year. The administration’s” Quick Win” initiatives to address drug problems within a year included the procedure.
He claimed that in 268 instances, narcotics reduction authorities had made arrests and had taken more than 200 million cocaine pills and three tonnes of crystal morphine, an 80 % increase over the previous month.
More than 50 million meth pills could n’t be smuggled along the border by a significant drug network.
In addition, police apprehended little criminals in over 23, 000 cases, an increase of 22.7 % from last year, and seized drug-related property worth more than 709 million ringgit.
372 drug smugglers were apprehended by commission units 24 and 35 of the Internal Security Operations Command, which are in charge of Thailand’s northeast and northern borders. They were able to recover more than 13 millionmeth pills and 0.8 kg of heroin.
However, 21.51 % of those targeted—19, 638 drug users across the nation—have undergone rehabilitation. 22 129 medicine people have also enrolled in behavior development programs.
In accordance with the president’s Quick Win plan, 1, 052 of the 4, 414 people with mental illnesses brought on by illegal drugs are receiving treatment in 85 risk-prone areas of 30 provinces.
The Public Health Ministry also wants to increase the number of pharmaceutical patients receiving medical care facilities nationwide.