BANGKOK: A drug smuggler, who is wanted by the Chinese authorities, thought he could evade arrest by escaping to Thailand and continue the lucrative business here, but he was wrong.
The 38-year-old man who went to renew his student visa was nabbed in Surin, one of the northeastern provinces of Thailand by the Thai police late last month.
Narcotics Control Board Office (NOCB) secretary-general, Niyom Termsrisuk said the man, a prime suspect wanted by the Chinese authorities, used Thailand as the transit point to export heroin from the Golden Triangle, the notorious drug-producing region, to be smuggled into Hainan, China.
“The syndicate is operated by the Chinese man and very active in Thailand. Investigations revealed that about 20 kilogrammes of heroin are smuggled to China per shipment,” he said at a press conference here.
Niyom said Thai authorities received a tip-off from their Chinese counterparts following the arrest of 24 suspects with 11.7 kilos of heroin and 190 grammes of crystal methamphetamine in July, last year.
“Investigations revealed that the suspects received the drugs from the Chinese man and his friend here in Thailand. Therefore, the Chinese Narcotics Control Bureau sought our help to locate the two suspects. Finally, we managed to arrest one of them,” he said. -- BERNAMA