Thai anti-narcotics agency launches major crackdown on drug traffickers

BANGKOK, August 31 (TNA) – The Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) and anti-narcotics in Thailand on Sunday carried out an operation to impound assets and arrest drug trafficking suspects in 49 areas of 13 Northern and Central provinces, including Bangkok. Combined government forces executed 23 warrants to search residences of suspected drug traffickers in these areas. ONCB Secretary-General Permpong Chavalit said the operation followed the arrest of nine drug suspects in March in the northern province of Phetchabun in which police were able to seize 3 million methamphetamine pills. Permpong said the nine suspects received the drugs from the Yao and Hmong hill-tribesmen and smuggled them from Myanmar and Laos to Thailand. In the operation, the anti-narcotics authorities arrested more than 13 drug traffickers and impounded their assets worth more than 200 million baht. In the northernmost province of Chiang Rai, two suspected drug traffickers were arrested, while their assets worth 130 million baht were seized by anti-narchotics police. (TNA)