Drug busts rise, and danger too

According to a report by the Office of Narcotics Control Board, illegal drugs are being smuggled into Thailand, mostly through the provinces of Nong Khai, Nakhon Phanom and Mukdahan.

Drug smugglers are now armed, making ONCB suppression more difficult since each arrest or raid could erupt into gunfights, said ONCB secretarygeneral Krissana Pholanant.

The report also categorised drug traffickers in Thailand into two groups. One group consists of longtime traders living in the three provinces while the other includes those based in Bangkok, the East and Saraburi, or drug users themselves who get involved directly in the illicit trade.

The ONCB reported 1,230 arrests in June, 11 per cent higher than those made in May. A total of 63,382 amphetamine tablets were seized during the arrests made also in Loei and Udon Thani.

Each tablet is smuggled into Thailand at Bt75 to Bt250 but is sold at Bt250 to Bt500 in inner provinces away from the border. The best price reported was at Bt300 to Bt450 in Nong Bua Lamphu and Kalasin.

Apart from routine police and antidrug agents works, more patrols in the Mekong River and along borders are needed to better tackle the problem. Public participation and communities would also be useful in the ONCB operation against drug trade and trafficking, said Pol Lt General Krissana.