NAKHON PHANOM, July 1 – Thai authorities seized 165 kilogrammes of marijuana, with a street value of five million baht, as it was being smuggled across the Mekong River in this northeastern border province.
Nakhon Phanom’s Thatphanom district chief Korakot Thamrongwongsawat said Nakhon Phanom naval unit on patrol duty along the Mekong River found a group of four to five suspects hurriedly transporting unidentified goods in a long-tailed boat on the river.
The suspects immediately fled to the neighbouring country as the authorities rushed to inspect their boat. Sticks of pressed marijuana were seized.
The district chief said Thai officials have stepped up their cross-border drug suppression operations but drug smugglers still find ways to ply their trade.
He noted that the high water level in the Mekong River during this period has facilitated drug smuggling
The authorities in Nakhon Phanom seized 11 tonnes of marijuana in total during 2011 and 2012.
