BANGKOK: Thai authorities have intercepted a couple of and a half tons of crystal methamphetamine in a document seizure of the unlawful drug, senior narcotics officers mentioned on Monday (Jan 20).
The haul – which authorities mentioned had been despatched from Africa through India and was headed to Europe, the United States or Australia – was present in a warehouse in Bangkok following a tip-off.
Four males had been arrested on the scene.
According to Phanurat Lukboon, secretary common of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, authorities discovered methamphetamine weighing round 1.65 tonnes hidden in rolls of cotton within the warehouse.
“It’s the primary time we have seized such a lot of methamphetamine,” Phanurat instructed AFP.
Officials declined to say how a lot the haul was value, however a seizure of a tonne of methamphetamine in May final yr had a road worth of $25 million.
The kingdom is a significant transit route for illicit medicine produced within the “Golden Triangle” area the place northern Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet.
Methamphetamine is generally consumed in two types: in crystals (“Ice”) or in typically much less pure tablets known as “yaba” and extra generally taken in Thailand.
Myanmar is a significant supply of methamphetamine, a lot of it produced in unlawful laboratories in border areas managed by armed ethnic minority teams.
According to the United Nations, a document quantity of methamphetamine was seized in East and Southeast Asia in 2023 as organized crime teams elevated its manufacturing.
