BANGKOK – The Office of the Narcotics Control Board has auctioned off about 300 anime figures seized during drug cases, worth some 1.5 million baht in total.
Action figures from famous animations and movies such as Naruto, Dragon Ball, Iron Man, Spider-Man, the Transformers, and Masked Rider, seized in drug cases have been auctioned off by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) in its first round of auctions this year.
The 286 articles had been classified as not suitable for further storage by the ONCB, with prices for each item ranging from 200 baht to 35,000 baht.
The hottest item in the auction was a 1:1 action figure of Luffy, a lead character from One Piece animation, which came with a 35,000 baht starting price. The figure was sold at 111,000 baht to Mr Chakrit Boonlapho, an action figure enthusiast.
The auction event today strictly followed health and safety protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19, with temperature screening for all participants, who were required to wear masks. Hand sanitizers were provided at several locations inside the venue.
The Minister of Justice Somsak Thepsuthin, said some of these items were auctioned off despite their associated cases still being open, as the items are considered not suitable for storage.
He said the revenue from the auction will be kept in the bank first for open cases, with the sales amount plus interest to be given to a defendant who later wins the case. In all other cases, the revenue will enter the narcotics control fund for drugs suppression and prevention operations. (NNT)
