Three arrested on biggest bust on "ice" drug

Metropolitan police chief Worapong Chiwpreecha named the suspects as Suthee "Neung Trokchan" Saeping, 23, Sitthichai Chotethewachob, 25, and Dechdamrong Wichien, 24. With the 6kgs  of ice, police seized two passenger cars, and two mobile phones.

Following a tip-off by an informant, police arrested Suthee on Sunday evening. They charge he was driving a car with 2kgs ice under the hood, which Sitthichai and Dechdamrong had left at the parking lot of Big C Store's Hua Mark branch. Early next morning, police say they apprehended Sitthichai and Dechdamrong at their rented house in Sammakorn housing estate in Saphan Sung district after a search yielded another 4kgs  of ice.

Insisting it was only his second drug delivery, Suthee reportedly told police he was moving a drug-carrying car from one place to another as instructed by a customer via phone calls, in exchange for a Bt20,000 payment for each delivery.

He said that after losing a factory job, he befriended a man identified only as Ek at a football field and the man suggested this job to support his family.

Metropolitan Police Area 4 deputy chief Colonel Pachara Boonyasit said the police investigation found the suspects had delivered the drug six times in the past six months and had some Bt500,000 circulating in bank accounts for each consignment. Police have not ruled out the suspects might own these drugs themselves.

Metropolitan Police Area 4 deputy chief Colonel Manthan Apiawong said this was the largest drug bust in 10 years. He said the suspects had reportedly delivered a total of 400,000 tablets of Yaba and some 40 kgs of ice, including 34 kgs of ice distributed to customers.

Office of Narcotics Control Board chief Prayong Preeyajit reported recently to a seminar on crimes and drug trafficking in Bangkok communities, there were 90,000-100,000 drug dealers or drug abusers in Bangkok. He said environments such as entertainment places or dormitory areas helped promote the widespread narcotics activities.