CHIANG MAI, Jan 4 — Drug trafficking across Thailand’s upper northern border with Myanmar and the Lao PDR is concerning to Thai officials as large amounts of illicit narcotics are being held for smuggling into Thailand from the neighbouring countries.
Pha Mueang Task Force deputy chief Col Chainarong Kaewkla said that drug manufacturing and smuggling groups in Thailand’s neighbouring countries were producing a high number of drugs.
Production bases were found in 14 major locations near Thailand’s border provinces of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son, he said.
Col Chainarong said that apart from ‘yaba,’ a tablet form of methamphetamine, the authorities found that the amounts of crystal methamphetamine or ‘ice’ as well as heroine were increasing significantly.
He said that during the New Year period, the Thai authorities received information that drug traffickers were planning to smuggle more drugs into Thailand, using small groups of people to carry only small amount of drugs to prevent the arrest to assembly points, waiting for opportunity to smuggle the drugs Thailand.
The drugs would also be transferred to the third countries as there were networks in southern, northeastern, and central regions which would carry the drugs for further distribution, said Col Chainarong.
He said these moves could confirm the proliferation of narcotics this year and the concerned agencies should be more alert to fight against the illicit drug trafficking.
