Abbot sold meth to reforming addicts, cops say
A temple abbot running a drug rehabilitation centre has been arrested for allegedly selling “traditional medicine” he claimed would cure drug addicts — a concoction found to be mixed with methamphetamine.
A combined team of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) officials, the Food and Drug Administration and the military yesterday raided the centre at Wat Khao Permsrisawang in Nakhon Nayok and arrested the abbot, Phra Khru Opas Thammachote, 61, and Suwannachote Imsamai, 43, its caretaker.
They were charged with possessing methamphetamine with intent to sell.
According to the ONCB, residents had lodged a complaint against the centre, claiming it had sold traditional medicine laced with methamphetamine.
The office sent an undercover official pretending to be a drug addict seeking admission to the rehab centre. The official was charged a 500 baht admission fee.
The abbot sold the official liquid traditional medicine priced at 100 baht a bottle. The medicine was allegedly concocted by Mr Suwannachote.
ONCB secretary-general Sirinya Sitthichai said the official later bought six more bottles of the medicine. Samples of the medicine were sent to the office’s narcotic examination unit which found it contained a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine.
After having gathered sufficient evidence, the ONCB sought warrants for the arrest of the two men.
Mr Sirinya said the sale of the drug-tainted medicine was a new discreet method of supplying drugs to customers.
Sitthisak Watjanarat, director of the Narcotic Suppression Office, said Phra Khru Opas Thammachote has a criminal record, having been convicted once before for brewing traditional medicine using illegal drugs as an ingredient. He was also defrocked as a result of the conviction.
After he was released from jail, he re-entered the monkhoood and became the temple abbot.
Mr Sitthisak said authorities were checking whether Wat Khao Permsrisawang was licensed to run the rehab centre. Officials have also seized other medicines produced by the centre, which were being tested for drug content.
The ONCB was also looking to see if monks in other temples were involved in the sale or possession of narcotics in any shape and form. Some monks might have their backgrounds checked for prior criminal connections.