3 arrested, 101 million baht in assets seized in ONCB crackdown
This operation in five provinces, including Bangkok, follows up on a previous successful crackdown that provided intelligence on bigger players
The Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) has arrested three suspects and confiscated assets worth 101 million baht in crackdowns on drug traffickers in five provinces, Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong said.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, alongside ONCB secretary-general Pol Lt-General Phanurat Lakboon and Patrick Mihoub, a customs coordinator from the French embassy, Tawee highlighted the success of the latest operation.
This operation, the second of its kind, involved coordinated raids in Chiang Rai, Phitsanulok, Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Chonburi, with support from police and military units.
The suspects arrested on drug trafficking charges were identified as Saengphet and Sam from Chiang Rai and Niwat from Chonburi.
The seized assets, including property, gold ornaments, cash and vehicles, are valued at 101 million baht, Tawee said.
The minister said the first such operation was carried out in the last week of August, and on September 1, four suspects were arrested and assets worth 66 million baht confiscated.
He said information gathered during the first operation led to the recent arrests and the identification of six more suspects, including a Myanmar-based mastermind Ai Yisaw, believed to be behind the smuggling of 91.7 kilos of heroin into Thailand.
While only three suspects have been detained in the latest operation, Tawee said efforts to track down and arrest the remaining individuals, including Ai Yisaw, are ongoing.
