Patient police hit Tee Khao Kho drug ring

[Bangkoktraveler]

[color:red]After weeks of surveillance, officers take millions of ya ba pills off the streets.[/color]

 

The Tee Khao Kho drug network has been smashed in a series of drug raids carried out over three days.

 

One gang member was killed and the suspected gang leader and five other members of the drug ring arrested by drug suppression police, acting on tip-offs from informants.

 

Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) deputy commander Harnpol Nitwibul received a report from an informant mid-last month that a house on the old railway in Klong Toey was being used for storing methamphetamine, or ya ba.

 

He sent a drug squad to keep an eye on the two-storey house. On the first floor was a shop buying second-hand auto parts.

 

There were no signs of irregularities until Jan 28 when a pickup truck stopped in front of the house. Police suspected it was delivering drugs and raided the house. They caught Yongyuth Veeraphan, 44, who was allegedly about to point a gun at the officers when he was captured, and Phumin Klaikaeo, 45, who was in the van.

 

About 200,000 ya ba pills were found stuffed inside a red suitcase in the van and two ya ba pill compressing machines were found on the second floor of the house.

 

One room in the house was modified into a sound-proof chamber where chemicals and equipment for producing ya ba were found.

 

Mr Phumin allegedly said the house was rented by a man who also provided him with materials and equipment for making the drugs.

 

The NSB believed it was intended as a ya ba factory.

 

Pol Maj Gen Harnpol said the man obtained his ya ba from Natphong Rattanakornkaewchinda, 30, also known as Tee Khao Kho, a major drug dealer who leads the Tee Khao Kho drug network.

 

Confessions by Mr Phumin and Mr Yongyuth led to the arrests of three more gang members, who are ethnic Lisu.

 

At the same time, the NSB police heard from their spies that Manop Chaengkhlaikhom, 29, a suspected dealer from the same gang was picking up a ya ba order from a dealer at a Big C branch in Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan.

 

An NSB team followed Mr Manop from the department store. He realised he was being followed and sped up in his vehicle to get away from them.

 

The police gave chase and managed to stop his vehicle just before it left the expressway, heading for Rama II Road.

 

When stopped by police, Mr Manop made as if he wanted to surrender but then suddenly allegedly raised his gun. NSB officers shot him dead. His body was found with four bullet wounds. They found 50,000 pills of ya ba in his car.

 

NSB police also raided Mr Natphong's house in Samut Prakan's Bang Phli Yai district.

 

They arrested Mr Natphong without trouble, and at the house allegedly found 1.81 million methamphetamine pills in three pieces of baggage placed under a bed in one room.

 

Mr Natphong said a Chiang Mai man identified as Aod hired him for 300,000 baht to take ya ba from the northern province to Klong Toey, where it was stored in the house he had rented for two months.

 

Mr Natphong allegedly said he hid 1.6 million more pills in two more rented townhouses in Samut Prakan's Muang district.

 

Police searched the houses and found the drugs, another 2,000 pills and 2kg of crystal methamphetamine.

 

The houses were rented by a different man, Paisal Pattanakhiri, 24, who police say fled before authorities arrived.

 

On Jan 30, police raided a townhouse in tambon Theparak, Muang district of Samut Prakan, rented by Mr Paisal.

 

They allegedly found 1.6 million ya ba pills in nine bags. Police are still looking for Mr Paisal.

 

 

 

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[Flashermac]

That should run the price up some.

 

 

[Bangkoktraveler]

Sounds like a USA tactic.