There have been calls from Opposition MPs for the government to get serious about suppressing narcotics, and the government is clarifying that its efforts on the narcotics front have not been lax. According to the government spokesperson, 258 million baht of assets have been seized from drugs smuggling networks from October 1 to November 20.
Prime Minister’s Office spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana has attributed the rise in the number of methamphetamines in circulation to technological improvements made by drug traffickers, who have increasingly employed social media to facilitate dealings. Meanwhile, smugglers have been implementing more ingenious methods to hide and transport narcotics.
Mr. Thanakorn said relevant agencies have worked continuously to suppress these activities, and a new narcotics code will be taking effect on December 9. The new code emphasizes assets seizure, disrupting the narcotics cycle, and systemic eradication of drugs networks. The code facilitates law enforcement collaboration with banks and financial institutes, and enables retrospective confiscation of assets 10 years into the past. Informants who provide information will now be eligible to receive 5% of the value of assets confiscated, in contrast to the low amounts of reward money under the previous code.
The spokesman added that there were many developments that reflected the government’s tangible efforts to combat drugs. For example, he cited the 258 million baht of assets seized from narcotics rings from October 1 to November 20 this year. Up to 7.3 billion baht of assets were seized in drugs cases in 2020. (NNT)
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