• 
• 

Published on August 10, 2007

The officers detained Bunrod Bunnim, his wife Benjamas and daughter Sawarin and seized five houses, five luxury cars, Bt873,000 in cash, gold ornaments, land documents covering more than 100 rai of rubber plantations and an unspecified amount of money in 21 bank accounts. Other title deeds were also seized pending further inspections.

Also seized in the pre-dawn raid were 10 mobile phones and communications equipment.

The three suspects denied all wrongdoing.

Team commander Pol Maj-General Auaphorn Jintakanont said Bunrod had around Bt40 million in his bank accounts and spent around Bt2 million in cash each month on luxury items.

The raid was conducted after the arrests of three drug suspects with 60,000 amphetamine tablets in March 2005. The suspects later implicated Bunrod as their agent.

In Nakhon Ratchasima, a team of anti-narcotics agents and police raided a shop house in Tham Phannara district and seized items worth around Bt10 million belonging to owner Yongyuth Wutthiworradit.

Among the assets seized were several trucks and heavy construction machinery and ownership documents to more than 200 rai of palm plantations. Yongyuth was away at the time of the raid and his wife Yongyao was not arrested.

According to police, the raid was ordered following allegations by four men who were arrested earlier this year in Ubon Ratchathani while transporting 42.5 kilograms of processed marijuana. The four men said Yongyuth paid them Bt50,000 to transport the marijuana to agents in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Meanwhile, Office of Narcotics Control Board secretary-general Kitti Limchaikij said there were around 12,000 drug dealers in the country who had completed their jail sentences, been released and were involved in illicit businesses.

The number of drug convicts released in the past two years was 12,559 and the number of new registered drug users was now 6,540, he said.

He added that increased drug activities had put more than 4.2 million teenagers in school and another 1.4 million out of school at risk.