Meth Trafficking Ringleader Connecting North and South Thailand Apprehended

The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) has arrested the ringleader of a drug gang that transported methamphetamine from the North for distribution to networks in the South, TV Channel 7 reported on September 12. The apprehended individual, identified as Mr. Sompong (surname withheld), 55, also known as Bang, was detained at Bang Kaeo railway station in Phatthalung province. He was arrested under a warrant from the Phrae Provincial Court for "jointly distributing and possessing for distribution Category 1 narcotics (methamphetamine)" and "conspiring—in a group of two or more—to commit serious drug-related offences characteristic of organised crime and subsequently committing such offences as a result of that conspiracy." This arrest follows the apprehension of five members of a drug smuggling ring and the seizure of three sacks containing 596,000 meth pills on June 6 this year. Two of the arrested suspects, identified as Mr. A and Mr. B, revealed that they had been contacted by Sompong to transport drugs for payment of several hundred thousand baht. Sompong had instructed them to travel to Chiang Mai, where a co-conspirator named Mr. Sod called and directed them to the location of a sedan used for transporting the drugs. At the rendezvous point, they found a pickup truck parked nearby, with four men transferring three sacks of meth to the sedan’s trunk. They then drove the vehicle South along the route specified by Sod until they were arrested with the illicit cargo. Police subsequently expanded their investigation, identifying other individuals involved in the drug trafficking and obtained an arrest warrant for Sompong, who was then arrested at the railway station. However, the suspect has denied all charges. Source: Thai Newsroom