Thai law enforcement authorities successfully busted an attempt to smuggle drugs into Malaysia, seizing approximately RM14 million worth, totaling 1.8 million methamphetamine pills.
Lieutenant General Naratip Boayano, Commander of Thailand’s Fourth Army Region, stated that the drugs were discovered near a house in Ban Nanak village, close to Tak Bai, with the residence directly facing Pengkalan Kubor in Kota Bharu, Kelantan.
He said that on November 1, at around 8:40pm local time, a special anti-narcotics task force from Narathiwat Province police raided a forested area in the Tak Bai region.
“This operation was based on intelligence indicating that a drug syndicate was using the forested area around Ban Nanak village as a temporary storage point, in preparation to transport the drugs into Malaysia.”
“During the operation, police found two men at the scene. Upon further checks, officers discovered several black plastic bags containing meth pills hidden in the forest.”
He revealed that police arrested two suspects on the spot and seized 1.8 million methamphetamine pills, valued at about RM14 million.
Naratip explained that the two suspects are believed to be members of a drug crime syndicate based in Tachilek, Myanmar, which uses parcel delivery services to smuggle drugs into Malaysia.
“Preliminary investigations show that these two individuals have direct ties to the drug trafficking organization in Tachilek. Through technical surveillance and intelligence gathering, Thai police managed to locate the drug stash at the site.”
He said the two suspects and the seized drugs have been handed over to Narathiwat Police's Drug Control and Enforcement Center for further investigation.
He added that the Thai police are making every effort to track down other members of the syndicate, including the mastermind behind the operation.