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The Nation on Sunday
BANGKOK:-- Sixteen people have been arrested in six separate police raids on suspected drug dealers in many provinces, with more than 100,000 amphetamine tablets seized, police said yesterday.
Border Patrol Police recently nabbed a woman and seized 54,000 yaba (methamphetamine) pills from her in Chiang Mai.
Napoi Jaka, 32, confessed that she was hired for Bt50,000 to transport the tablets for drug dealers.
Also, police in Phetchaburi's Cha-am district yesterday arrested two men suspected of selling drugs and seized 20,000 yaba tablets and 400 grams of "ice" (crystal methamphetamine).
Ni-asri Nimaeroh, 29, and Mahamadhumdum Mare, 24, who are residents of Narathiwat, were held after travelling by car and being forced to stop at a drug inspection checkpoint in Cha-am.
However, both denied being involved with drugs police found in the car. They said they borrowed the vehicle from Sulgifil Mage to take Mahamadhumdum's sister, Areerat to Phetchaburi Rajabhat University. Then, Areerat's friend had borrowed it for around three hours to buy some goods before they travelled back home to return the car to the owner. But they were arrested before they reached him.
Police initially accused Ni-asri and Mahamadhumdum of possessing yaba and ice for illegal sale.
In Phayao on Friday, police seized 24,000 yaba tablets and 6.3 grams of ice and detained two men.
Police at a checkpoint in Phayao's Muang district found the yaba pills in a pickup and arrested Prakob Kaeomisri, 28.
Later, they arrested Tin or Ong-art Rod-udom, 21, in Chiang Rai. Prakob claimed Tin gave him the tablets. Police also seized 6.3 grams of "ice" from Ong-art.
Prakob confessed that Thongchai Duangnam, 26, hired him to transport yaba and "ice" from Ong-art in Chiang Rai to Thongchai at Mor Chit bus terminal.
Police also found that Thongchai had a record as a drug dealer.
Around 7,800 yaba pills and 101 grams of "ice" worth Bt2 million and two guns were seized from Jirawat Songtan and Apiwat Nurit in Phatthalung's Srinagarindra district.
Police said the suspects were reported to travel from Bangkok to the district to buy the drug. However, Chalin Kaensung, a third person who travelled with the two suspects, could escape arrest.
Meanwhile, two village heads in Surat Thani were nabbed yesterday for allegedly selling "ice". Police arrested Poyom Senyim and Woradet Mekklom, village heads in Kanchanadit district, after drug dealers who had been previously arrested implicated them in drug sales.
They claimed they ordered 80 grams of "ice" from inmates in Bang Kwang Central Prison in Nonthaburi and sold some of the drug.
Seven more people allegedly involved in the drug sale were also rounded up with 30 grams of "ice" and a gun following the arrest of both village heads.
In related news, the Democrat MP for Trang, Somchai Losathapornpipit, who is also chairman of the House committee on police affairs, questioned why Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung made provocative remarks about the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army commander-in-chief, Maj-General Saw Lah Pwe, also known as Na Kham Mwe (Mr Mustache) over drug selling.
He questioned why the government did not do it secretly and how could it arrest Saw Lah Pwe when he has his own armed force.
-- The Nation 2012-05-27
