Police raided four locations, arresting six more Vietnamese suspects linked to concealing ice methamphetamine in tamarind paste containers destined for Japan, with plans to issue an arrest warrant for "Mali," the girlfriend in the horse account gang.
In the case where a woman hired to carry goods to Japan became suspicious of the unusually heavy tamarind paste container and upon opening it found over 2 kilograms of ice methamphetamine, leading her to notify the police for investigation.Read the news: More ice methamphetamine hidden in tamarind paste containers intended for Japan; a woman grows suspicious of abnormal weight.)
On 21 July at around 12:00, Police Lieutenant General Siam Boonsom, Commissioner of Metropolitan Police Bureau, ordered Police Major General Theeradej Thammasuthi, Deputy Commissioner responsible for narcotics, along with Police Major General Chaiya Petchpanya, Commander of Metropolitan Police Division 7, Police Major General Chotiwat Luangwilai, Commander of the Metropolitan Police Bureau's Crime Suppression Division, and other senior officers, including detectives from Bang Yikhan Police Station and narcotics investigation units, to execute search warrants at four targets in Bueng Kum and Bang Kapi districts, resulting in the arrest of six Vietnamese suspects.
This search operation stemmed from the case where a person hired to carry parcels abroad noticed irregularities in a tamarind paste container, which led to intercepting over 2 kilograms of pure ice methamphetamine and the arrest last week of Sompong, a suspect who operated horse accounts for his Vietnamese girlfriend. The searches at four locations revealed the following details.
Locations 1-3: Houses in Khlong Kum Subdistrict, Bueng Kum District, and Khlong Chan Subdistrict, Bang Kapi District; no illegal items were found during searches.
Location 4: A house in Khlong Chan Subdistrict, Bang Kapi District, where a group of Vietnamese nationals were hiding (the point where a rider came to collect parcels). Authorities arrested six suspects, namely:
1. Ms. Ha Thi, 28 years old, Vietnamese.
2. Ms. Tran Thi, 18 years old, Vietnamese.
3. Ms. Le Nguyen, 18 years old, Vietnamese.
4. Ms. Lo Thi, 19 years old, Vietnamese.
5. Ms. Luong Le, 18 years old, Vietnamese, charged with "using a Category 1 narcotic without permission."
6. Mr. Do Nhu, 28 years old, Vietnamese, charged with "possession of a Category 1 narcotic without permission."
Additionally, authorities seized all communication devices and electronic equipment to extract digital evidence, and confiscated a copy of the passport of Ms. Mali, a Vietnamese woman and girlfriend of Sompong (the first suspect), to use as evidence in requesting additional arrest warrants from the court.
The arrested individuals stated they came to work in Thailand, with Mr. Do Nhu Ngoc acting as a modeling agent recruiting entertainment workers, paying 700 baht per job. They live together and deny involvement with international drug trafficking networks but admitted to drug use.
Police Major General Theeradej Thammasuthi, Deputy Commissioner of Metropolitan Police Bureau, stated, "This network has attempted to use parcel delivery services to deceive authorities by hiding drugs mixed with agricultural products and dried foods. We warn the public who carry parcels abroad to carefully check items; if anything seems suspicious or weights are inconsistent, do not accept the packages under any circumstances."
He added, "We also warn those who agree to open horse accounts or provide personal documents to others that they are considered part of international criminal organizations. The Metropolitan Police will conduct thorough crackdowns and prosecute all involved without exception."