Authorities have seized illicit drugs with a street value of 800 million baht and arrested three suspects in Chiang Rai’s Muang district, says provincial police chief Surachet Topoonyanont.
The haul on Friday came just a day after the seizure of 500 million baht worth of speed pills in nearby Lampang province.
Friday's operation was carried out by a combined team of local police, Narcotics Suppression Bureau officers and soldiers of the Pa Muang task force. They raided a deserted three-storey building near the Mae Korn intersection in tambon Rob Wiang after an intelligence report indicated a major drug gang was storing narcotics there.
One man and two women were in the building when the unit arrived. Officers arrested them after a search found 2.5 million methamphetamine pills and 50 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine in big cardboard boxes, Pol Maj Gen Surachet told a news conference on Friday.
Arrested were Damrong Somwawiang, 39; Parichart Arblit, 28; and Hassaruadee Arthornpracharat, 34.
The suspects initially told police they had hidden the drugs in the building and were about to deliver them to Bangkok by using the service of a nearby privately owned postal company, said Pol Maj Gen Surachet.
The three suspects were thought to be involved with a suspected drug trafficker arrested last month in the adjacent district of Phaya Mengrai for possessing 1.8 million speed pills worth 500 million baht.
In the Lampang operation on Thursday aftrernoon, officers from Mae Phrik Police Station stopped a Chiang Rai-registered pickup truck with four men inside for a search. The men fled into a nearby grove. Police inspected the pickup and found a total of 2 million speed pills concealed in 10 sacks.
Authorities conducted air and ground searches for the four suspects who were hiding in the forest. One of the suspects was arrested after three hours in an operation involving two helicopters. Police identified him as Winai sae Her, 22, a Hmong hilltribesman from Chiang Rai.
The three other suspects were still at large and the search was continuing, reports said.
Thailand - Chalerm vows to hunt down drug ring suspects
Thailand - Chalerm vows to hunt down drug ring suspects
Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung yesterday vowed to smash a suspected methamphetaminedistribution network after possibly millions of "precursor" pills went missing from many state hospitals.
"We must be decisive and we must arrest all involved no matter what occupations they have," said Chalerm, who was visiting Kalasin, where over 350,000 Actifed tablets have disappeared from Kamalasai Hospital.
"I have instructed Narcotics Suppression police, the Narcotics Control Board and the Department of Special Investigation to work closely on the cases. While we worked so hard on the campaign to suppress methamphetamine, now we have unexpectedly found that the source is in hospitals. It was also done by people with high social status. The cases against anyone found guilty must be pursued actively to the end," he said.
Ultimate measures would be taken against people involved in the embezzlement of medicines containing pseudoephedrine from state hospitals amid concerns that the chemical might be used to produce ya ba, he said.
Pol Colonel Wichien Pinduang, the provincial police chief, said after chairing a meeting with investigators that the probe into the missing drugs at Kamalasai Hospital was expected to be finished within three days. The case then will be transferred to Narcotics Suppression police to take legal action against the pharmacists involved.
The pilfering of cold medicine is believed to be related to the illicit drug trade, as pseudoephedrine can be used as an ingredient in the making of both ya ba and ice, he said.
But the inquiry must be handled carefully as the suspects were government officials. They were likely to face fraud and graft charges, he said.
AUS, NSW - Police seize multi-million dollar cannabis crop - Coffs Harbour
AUS, NSW - Police seize multi-million dollar cannabis crop - Coffs Harbour
Police are conducting investigations after discovering a large multi-million dollar cannabis crop near Coffs Harbour last week.
On Friday 16 March 2012, acting on information received from the public, detectives and officers from Coffs Harbour Target Action Group attended the Bongil Bongil National Park.
The officers, assisted by the Dog Unit, conducted a search of the forest to the west of the National Park near Slarkes Road.
During the search police located 1395 mature cannabis plants with an estimated potential street value of $2.79 million.
The plants were seized and subsequently destroyed.
Police are continuing their investigations into the cultivation and are attempting to identify and locate those responsible for the cannabis crop.
UK - Drugs smuggler arrived at Manchester Airport with heroin worth £500k in his suit
UK - Drugs smuggler arrived at Manchester Airport with heroin worth £500k in his suit
A smuggler was found to have almost £500,000 of heroin hidden inside the false lining of his suitcase when he landed at Manchester Airport.
Tabassum Gulnar 34, was challenged as he headed through nothing to declare after collecting the bag from a carousel having jetted in from Pakistan. Officials from the UK Border Agency were alerted when a sniffer dog showed extreme interest in the brown case.
It was put through an X-ray machine and four square packages showed up. The case was put on the carousel and officers watched who picked it up. Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court was told that while he waited, Gulnar, of Lees Road, Oldham, had the nerve to ask customs officers if they knew why his luggage was taking so long. When challenged, he immediately admitted the bag was his and that he packed it himself. When the drugs were found secreted under a second skin inside, he insisted he knew nothing about them.
The packages contained 6.36kg of heroin of between 50-54 per cent purity, which would have retailed on the street for £390,000-£488,000. Philip Andrews, defending, said Gulnar had been a ‘blind mule’ in a plan hatched by others who ruthlessly exploited him. He was said to have had learning difficulties at school and was far from street-wise. But a jury convicted him of smuggling drugs into Britain. Brendan O’Leary, prosecuting, said Gulnar’s story was like a bad film script.
The court was told that unemployed Gulnar had flown out to Pakistan with his 13-year old sister for a family funeral late last year. He claimed he had bought the suitcase for the equivalent of five or six pounds at a market stall shortly before they returned on November 27.
Gulnar and his sister had been due to fly from Lahore to London on November 26, but at the last minute re-booked at a cost of £600 to fly from Islamabad to Manchester. Gulnar, who had travelled to Pakistan with virtually no money, claimed he re-booked because his sister had wanted to spend more time with family. Mr O’Leary said: "The Crown’s case is that he knew full well what was in that bag, and that he did not innocently buy it from a market trader.
He says he bought the only rigid suitcase on the stall – which just happened to have almost half a million pounds worth of heroin hidden inside it. It was also no coincidence that the changing of the flight tickets and the purchase of the suitcase took place on the same day." The court heard that on Gulnar’s return, his mobile phone recorded 17 separate missed calls between 11pm and 9am the next morning, making it clear someone was anxious to contact him. Gulnar will be sentenced at Minshull Street Crown Court next month.
VICTORIA COUNTY, Texas -- State troopers have seized 51.2 lbs. of cocaine during a traffic stop, according to a press release from the Department of Public Safety..
Troopers said they pulled over the suspect's vehicle for multiple traffic infractions, and then were given verbal consent from the driver to search the vehicle.
Twenty bundles of cocaine were found inside the vehicle, weighing 51.2 lbs. and carrying an estimated street value of $1,493,091, according to the press release.
The woman driving the vehicle was arrested and faces multiple federal charges.
BSF shot dead 3 Pak smugglers and recovers 22 kg heroin
BSF shot dead 3 Pak smugglers and recovers 22 kg heroin
AMRITSAR: A patroling party of BSF shot dead three Pak smugglers and recoverd 22 kg heroin valued at around Rs. 110 crore in the international market. According to reports a patroling party of BSF spotted some suspicious movement near Dharma border outpost on Indo Pak border on the wee hours of Momday. BSF challanged the Pak smugglers who ignored the warning and opened fire at BSF.
In retaliatory fire BSF shot dead three Pak nationals said sources. in a follow up search of the area BSF recoverd 22 packets of heroin. BSF and police have launched a massive manhunt to nab the Indian smugglers who were to receive the smuggled heroin.
USA, AZ - Border Patrol finds, seizes over 5 pounds of heroin this weekend
USA, AZ - Border Patrol finds, seizes over 5 pounds of heroin this weekend
TUCSON - Border Patrol agents working at the Nogales Station seized over five pounds of heroin in two separate incidents this weekend.
On Saturday, agents found 1.3 pounds of heroin hidden under a Mexican citizen's clothes during a routine immigration inspection, according to a news release from Customs and Border Protection. The narcotics, worth about $19,200, were held as evidence, and the individual faces possible prosecution for narcotics smuggling.
On Sunday, a canine team alerted to a commercial passenger transportation vehicle, which was then referred for secondary inspection, the CBP release states. A search revealed several small bundles of heroin on the floorboard, which were not traceable to a specific passenger. The drugs, weighing 3.8 pounds and worth about $44,720, will be turned over to the DEA.
"Border Patrol checkpoints continue to assist agents in stopping transnational criminal organizations from bringing harmful and addictive narcotics further into the United States," the release states. "Significant progress has been made in disrupting illegal activity along the Arizona/Mexico border by reducing the ability of smugglers to move contraband through routes of egress. "
USA, NC - Three men charged with trafficking 8 kilos of cocaine Read more here: http
USA, NC - Three men charged with trafficking 8 kilos of cocaine
RALEIGH -- State Alcohol Law Enforcement agents arrested three men Sunday and charged them with trafficking eight kilograms of cocaine.
The arrests followed a vehicle stop on Old Wake Forest Road in Raleigh. In addition to the cocaine, agents say they also seized more than $43,000 in cash, two vehicles and three guns, according to the state Department of Public Safety.
Jamie Munguia Borrayo, of Roanoke Rapids and two other men, Franklin Daniel Montilla Gomez, of an unknown address in Raleigh, and Raul Pichardo, of 4223 Middle Oaks Drive, Raleigh, were arrested Sunday, according to arrest warrants.
All three were charged with conspiracy to traffic in cocaine, while Borrayo and Pichardo were also charged with trafficking in cocaine.
Each of the men has been placed under a federal immigration detainer, meaning federal officials suspect they in the country illegally. Borrayo, 50, is from Mexico, while Gomez, 29, and Pichardo, 30, are from the Dominican Republic.
Gomez, 29, also was maintaining a vehicle used in keeping or selling a controlled substance – his 1998 Chevrolet Avalanche.
Bail for each man was set at $500,000. They are being held in the Wake County jail.
USA, KY - Agents Find Nearly 50 Pounds Of Pot Inside Bookcase
USA, KY - Agents Find Nearly 50 Pounds Of Pot Inside Bookcase
HEBRON, Ky. -- U.S. Customs agents have stopped another drug shipment through the Tri-State.
Customs and Border Protection officers stationed at the DHL Express Consignment Operation in Erlanger, found 48 pound of marijuana concealed inside a false compartment in the back side of an imported bookcase.
"This method of concealment further shows the great lengths drug smugglers will use to try to hide their product," said Steven Artino, CBP acting Director of Field Operations in Chicago, in a news release. "This is an outstanding example of CBP officers use of their intuition, experience and available resources in the detection and interdiction of this marijuana shipment. Every week, everyday, and every minute our CBP officers are engaged in a battle to outsmart one of the most dangerous and clever enemies of this nation - the drug smuggler."
CBP officers found the drugs after routine x-rays showed anomalies within the item. Smugglers created a hollow cavity in the back of the bookcase in which 48.29 pounds of marijuana was placed.
The drugs were shipped from Mexico and destined for Texas, CBP said.
No arrests have been made in relation to this seizure as the case is still under investigation.
Serbia And Montenegro - Three persons in handcuffs, about 6 kilograms of marijuana se
Three persons in handcuffs, about 6 kilograms of marijuana seized
Mitrovica - Sources within the Kosovo police report that in Kqiq i Madh, village of Mitrovica municipality, Sunday arrested three people because during a search among them they found and seized over 6 kilograms of marijuana-type drugs.
It is notified that after the hearing, the suspects, under the public prosecutor's decision, were sent to police custody. Police officers in the Mitrovica region say the case was not performed by them, but by the drug sector in general level.
MORANG: Border Police Post, Budhanagar in Morang district arrested two persons along with 26 kg of marijuana on Monday morning.
The arrestees are Bidhyananda Sarbariya, 30, of Budhanagar-6 and Tunkana Chaudhary, 45, of Tetariya-9 of the district.
According to Sub-Inspector at the Post, Kamal Katwal, a patrol team of police arrested them while they were taking the marijuana belonging to marijuana smuggler Mainu Yadav of Budhanagar-6 to India.
Police said the marijuana smuggler Yadav has been absconding.
Both the arrestees have been handed over to the Area Police Office, Rani, for the legal action, according to Katwal.
Police have arrested members of two drug gangs and seized 200,000 methamphetamine pills and 50 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine, or ice.
Suthat Panji, 42 was arrested yesterday for possession of 200,000 methamphetamine pills, or yaba. His car and five mobile phones were also confiscated, police said on Monday.
The suspect told investigators that he planned to deliver yaba from Chiang Rai province to two people at a gas station on Ram Intra Road and at a parking lot in Bangkok's Wang Thonglang district yesterday evening.
Two other suspects, Seksan Sonsuphab, 42, and Palida Rattanawirun, 21, were arrested on the same day.
In another case, police yesterday arrested two drug suspects, Somboon Saelee, 24, and Sitthidet Charaschote, 21, and seized six kilogrammes of crystal meth.
Police said the drugs were hidden in teabags.
The pair confessed that they were delivering the drug from Lampang province to Nonthaburi's Bang Kruai district, according to police.
Two cell phones and a pickup truck were confiscated.
All five drug suspects were taken to the Narcotics Suppression Bureau for further investigation.
Police arrest five drug suspects and seize 200,000 yaba pills and 50kg of crystal meth smuggled from northern provinces. (Photos by Surapol Promsaka Na Sakolnakorn)
Netherlands - Dutch seize big cocaine haul at airport
Netherlands - Dutch seize big cocaine haul at airport
Dutch gendarmes confiscated hundreds of kilogrammes of cocaine in one of the largest busts at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport in recent years, a spokesman said Tuesday.
"We have seized 300 kilos of cocaine," Robert van Kapel told AFP. The drug was packaged in containers and had an estimated street value of 12 million euros ($16 million).
The find was made in containers flown in from South and Central America on Monday and Tuesday.
No arrests were made, said Kapel, but an investigation is underway.
Schiphol is Europe's fifth-largest airport and up to 140,000 passengers pass through it every day.
[BNA.bh] BAHRAIN :: A suspect caught in possession 18 KG of Marijuana
[BNA.bh] BAHRAIN :: A suspect caught in possession 18 KG of Marijuana
Manama, March 22 (BNA) -- An Anti-Narcotics Police Squad had successfully arrested a hashish dealer in possession of an estimated quantity of 18 KG of the prohibited substance, according to a report from the General Director of Investigations and Criminal Evidence Directorate.
The General Director explained that the directorate received information that a suspect had in his possession and was also trafficking illegal narcotic drugs.
The suspect was caught in the act of selling pot after obtaining permission from the Public Prosecution and afer investigation and search was conducted all over his house which resulted in uncovering a large quantity hashish estimated to sell at BHD 36,000 (around USD 110,000).
UK - Cannabis factories and cocaine seized in police raids
UK - Cannabis factories and cocaine seized in police raids
DRUGS with a combined street value of nearly £500,000 were recovered during a series of raids executed by police, the Star has learned.
The operations saw squads of officers swoop at properties on Robins Lane and Sutton Park Drive, Sutton where they recovered £200,000 of cocaine and 8.400 counterfeit cigarettes.
A 44-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman were arrested in connection with the possession of drugs with intent to supply.
In a separate drugs bust on Knowsley Road officers uncovered a cannabis farm with 300 plants and a quantity of amphetamine.
The street value of the drugs is believed to be £120,000. A woman, 27, and a 40-year-old man were held on suspicion of producing cannabis and possessing drugs.
A further police raid on a house in Wargrave Road, Newton-le-Willows led to the discovery of 400 cannabis plants with a street of value of £160,000.
Pictures acquired by the Star show the stacks of plants stocked inside what appeared to be a normal house.
Last week the Star reported how police had embarked on a major operation to crack down on cannabis production in the town.
Superintendent Dave Fox told the Star: “This is part of an ongoing operation to stamp out cannabis cultivation and drugs supply. We will put all our efforts into catching people involved with illegal drugs and would appeal to anyone who smells anything strange to contact police.”
