BANGKOK (Bernama): The Royal Thai Police have cracked down on 846 drug networks, arresting 131 suspects and seizing drug-related assets worth over 327 million baht (RM41 million) during a simultaneous nationwide operations this week.
Deputy Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police General Kittirat Phanphet said the Narcotics Suppression Bureau of the Royal Thai Police has coordinated operations with Provincial Police Regions 1 to 9, the Metropolitan Police Bureau and the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, in collaboration with the Office of the Narcotics Control Board and related agencies, to conduct simultaneous nationwide crackdowns.
"The Royal Thai Police adopted a proactive approach in cracking down on local drug dealers, investigating and expanding every drug-related case, and seizing assets connected to drug networks.
"Continuous operations to crack down on drug networks and seize their assets are mandated for all units," he said in a statement after a Zoom Meeting with Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin here on Thursday.
Kittirat said the operations also seized 4,784,018 methamphetamine pills, 590.83 kg of ice (crystal methamphetamine), 1.22 kg of ketamine, 73.43 kg of heroin, 45,439 ecstasy pills, and 196 firearms.
"The Royal Thai Police insisted to continue to intensify drug suppression efforts, particularly targetting small-scale community drug dealers, which directly impact the public, and intercepting drug transportation from border areas to inner regions," he said.
He said that over the past nine months, since October 2023 until today, the Royal Thai Police have made significant progress, with crackdown on 81,455 small-scale drug cases.
Meanwhile, local media reported that the Kingdom has burned more than 20 tonnes of confiscated narcotic drugs worth 6.45 billion baht on Wednesday to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
According to Thai media, Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin said the destroyed illicit drugs, seized from 41,800 cases and primarily consisting of methamphetamine, were part of the Southeast Asian country's comprehensive strategy, encompassing prevention, suppression and rehabilitation measures.
The Thai government recognised the devastating impact of drug abuse and has placed its eradication at the forefront of the national agenda, Somsak said.
Public health officials will continue to provide effective treatment and rehabilitation services for people with addiction, as well as help dismantle drug networks to foster a drug-free environment, he added.
According to the ministry, the operation marked the second large-scale drug destruction exercise in the fiscal year 2024, following the massive 340-tonne incineration in December 2023. - Bernama
