Hanoi (VNA) – Thai police have dismantled a major drug trafficking operation, seizing 1.6 tonnes of ketamine and crystal meth hidden beneath sacks of cabbage on a pickup truck, and arresting the driver on drug trafficking charges.
The Thai man, aged 39, was arrested over the weekend when he stopped his truck at a petrol station in central Ayutthaya province, police said.
Authorities found 900 kg of ketamine and 700 kg of crystal methamphetamine in packages hidden underneath bags of the leafy vegetable, Bangkok police said.
The driver, who was arrested on April 4, confessed that he was hired to transport the drugs for 100,000 THB (3,000 USD), police said.
The drug trafficking charges carry a maximum sentence of 15 years to life in prison.
Thailand is a major hub for illegal drug trafficking in Southeast Asia, and police raids and seizures of hard narcotics such as heroin and methamphetamine are common.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said a record 236 tonnes of methamphetamine were seized in East and Southeast Asia in 2024, a 24% rise from the previous year./.
Malaysia busts largest-ever maritime drug trafficking ring
According to the MMEA, the operation took place on February 11 in waters off Pahang state, about 107 nautical miles northeast of Kuantan. Officers inspected the Thailand-flagged oil tanker Kamal Bangkok and discovered 76 sacks of methamphetamine that had been carefully concealed.
