Chamras Denpreecha, 54, of Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai, Lerdsak Puripanyanant, 37, of Loei’s Wang Saphung, and a Shan man identified only as Chai
.
BANGKOK – Police told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday that they seized 31.8kg of crystal meth amphetamines, commonly known as ‘ice’, along with 500 methamphetamine tablets which had been hidden inside car types police seized during an operation in Bangkok on Monday.
The arrests and seizure of drugs came after a month long investigation by police who identified the men as major drug traffickers in Chiang Rai, who were responsible for transporting drugs across Thailand.
500,000 speed pills and another 4.8kg of crystal methamphetamine hidden in car tyres
.
The arrests followed a police investigation that found out Mr Chai, an alleged member of a major drug trafficking gang in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district, had smuggled illicit drugs into Bangkok by hiding them in spare car tyres, Pol Maj Gen Pornchai Charoenwong, commander of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau’s Division 3, said.
Chamras Denpreecha, 54, of Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai, Lerdsak Puripanyanant, 37, of Loei’s Wang Saphung, and a Shan man identified only as Chai were arrested separately in Bangkok and Chiang Mai on Monday and taken to a news conference at the Narcotics Suppression Bureau
Police working undercover contacted the gang arranged to buy 27kg of crystal meth for 13.5 million Baht, which was to be delivered to an address in Bang Kapi, Bangkok.
However, when two of the men, identified as Mr Chai and Mr Chamas, tried to deliver the drugs, police swooped and arrested the men.
Property belonging to both men was then searched where officers found a further 500,000 pills and 4.8kg of crystal meth.
Police said the suspects are part of large drug trafficking network from Myanmar which is thought to be responsible for supply much of the narcotics found in Mae Sai Chiang Rai..