Chonburi and Banglamung police pursued tips from minor drug dealers to Issan where they captured five alleged members of a major methamphetamine ring and seized 24,000 ya ba tablets.
Top law-enforcement officials Aug. 19 announced the arrest of alleged ring leader Noppol Tiybut, 44; his wife, Maneerat Jitjat, 47; lookout Niwet Jitampai, 58; and two others: Niphaporn Wongpraphan, 32, and Thanin Kongsaen, 36.
Chonburi and Banglamung police arrested five alleged members of a major methamphetamine ring and seized 24,000 ya ba tablets.
All the suspects hail from Nakhon Phanom and were arrested in Udon Thani with the drugs, 100,000 baht cash, a gun, 10 mobile phones, six pickup trucks and a motorbike.
Banglamung police said drug dealers arrested locally claimed they’d been getting their drugs from Issan. With their help, police arranged an undercover buy of 24,000 methamphetamine tablets for 2 million baht.
Upon arriving at the meeting in Khumkung, Udon Thani, police waited as Niwet arrived alone to check out the area before calling his superiors with the all clear. Police then arrested him. When Noppol and Maneerat arrived, they also were captured.
Police said Noppol confessed he’d sourced his drugs from Laos, meeting his supplier at the banks of the Khong River where the Laotian dealer crossed with a longboat.
