Thailand’s Minister of Justice, along with officials from other related agencies, held a press conference in Mae Sai Chiang Rai to announce the seizure of more than 100 million bahts worth of assets from an international drug syndicate kingpin.
Pol. Lt. Gen Thawee Sodsong, Minister of Justice, said six suspects had been arrested after a two-month investigation conducted by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board after the arrest of 2 suspects on September 1, 2024, who were members of an international heroin trafficking network.
At the time of their arrest, the 2 suspects were caught with a total of 91.7 kilograms of heroin hidden in a modified pickup truck with a secret compartment. The investigation has been expanded to 6 suspects. Initially, 3 were arrested today.
The rest, including the syndicate’s leader, Mr. Ai Yi So, are still at large, and police are working to track them down.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Thawee said that even though Mr. Ai Yi So has not been arrested, his assets have been seized, including 11 plots of land with buildings in Chiang Rai, Phitsanulok, Nonthaburi, Chonburi, and Bangkok, cash found in his house of approximately 4 million baht, another 10 million baht in the bank, etc., totaling more than 101 million baht.
He said that Chiang Rai Province is considered a drug-risk area because criminal groups often smuggle drugs through the upper North and into the Central Region before bringing them to the South for distribution abroad.
We must raise the level of suppression of these major transnational drug crimes to a higher level because they severely affect the quality of life of Thais. Their actions are costing the government millions for the rehabilitation of drug addicts. By taking down these drug syndicates in the Golden Triangle, Thailand can save the budget for solving the drug problem and use it to develop the country in other areas.
He said Friday, the cabinet will travel to Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai Provinces to meet with senior executives and discuss ways to solve the drug problem as a national issue and elevate it to a regional and international agenda, with cooperation from neighboring countries and the international level.
Geoff Thomas is an award winning journalist known for his sharp insights and no-nonsense reporting style. Over the years he has worked for Reuters and the Canadian Press covering everything from political scandals to human interest stories. He brings a clear and direct approach to his work.
