The Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) has announced that an American and a Thai woman have been arrested in connection with the smuggling of fentanyl into Thailand, the country’s first arrests involving this particular substance.
Wichai Chaimongkhon, the general secretary of the ONCB, stated during a news conference that the unidentified individuals were captured after being linked to a package sent from the US to Bangkok on Monday (Sept12).
According to Wichai, the male suspect, caught while claiming his package, was found to be in possession of 4 grams of fentanyl, 10 grams of cocaine, 8 grams of ketamine, 9 grams of methamphetamine, and 2 grams of ecstasy. His Thai accomplice was later nabbed at her apartment in the Ratchathewi area of Bangkok.
Mark Snyder, a senior official from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and police officers from the Thai Narcotics Suppression Bureau were also present at the press conference.
According to a US official, fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. A pharmaceutical fentanyl patch has been developed and applied to the skin to relieve the pain of cancer patients. The drug is also illicitly misused due to its powerful effects. (NNT)
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