Thai police seize 508kg ‘Ice’ bound for Malaysia

BANGKOK: Thai police have apprehended a suspect and crippled an attempt to smuggle 508kg of synthetic drugs ‘Ice’ worth at least 1 billion Baht (about RM125 million) from Laos to Malaysia.

National Police Chief Gen Chaktip Chaijinda who made the announcement of the seizure yesterday said, the value of the seized drugs could jump ten fold to 10 billion Baht (RM1.25 billion) if it reached lucrative markets in Europe and other countries.

“These drugs originated from the Wa group (indigenous ethnic group) in Laos and smuggled into Thailand, before continuing their destination to southern Thailand and Malaysia,” he told the media at the Royal Thai Police headquarters here, yesterday.

Acting Provincial Police Region Three Commander Lt Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapat said, the police seized an abandoned pickup truck not far from the security check point in Nakhon Ratchasima province early yesterday and found the drugs stashed inside 11 fertiliser sacks.

A 30-year- old suspect who was later arrested, had abandoned his pick-up truck after making a u-turn upon seeing the security checkpoint.

The man according to him, came from Thailand’s north east province of Nakhon Phanom, located near the Thai-Laos border.

Damrongsak also said, the police have stepped up their efforts to find another man, who had accompanied the 30-year- old suspect but fled the scene immediately after abandoning the pick-up truck.

The arrested man said the regional commander had confessed during police investigation that he and his friend would receive 200,000 baht (about RM25,000) for transporting the drugs to an undisclosed location in central Thailand.

The police are continuing their investigation. — Bernama