A major drug network led by kingpin “Long Sae-Lee” has been busted by police, with assets worth more than 2.4 billion baht (US$68 million) seized, after raids in nine provinces in Thailand.
Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin stated that the Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) and local authorities conducted 22 raids on suspected network hideouts in nine provinces.
They apprehended six suspects who were wanted on arrest warrants and seized their homes, land, cars, motorcycles, and cash, totalling more than 2.4 billion baht.
Meanwhile, a Chinese businessman known as “Tuhao” surrendered to Bangkok police yesterday in response to allegations of involvement in the illegal drug trade.
Chaiyanat Kornchayanant arrived at the Royal Thai Police around 1pm yesterday, accompanied by a team of lawyers, to report to deputy national police chief Pol General Surachate Hakparn.
The Bangkok South Criminal Court wanted Mr. Chaiyanat on an arrest warrant for drug trafficking conspiracy and illegally possessing a psychotropic substance with intent to sell. He denied the allegations.
His surrender comes after Pol Gen Surachate ordered raids at two Bangkok locations yesterday morning: a luxury home on Rama V Road and a luxury hotel in central Bangkok, both assets were thought to be Mr. Chaiyanat’s hideouts.
Police discovered Mr. Chaiyanat’s wife, a Thai police colonel with the police’s foreign affairs division and the niece of a former high-ranking police officer. Her identity was not revealed.
She informed the officers that her husband had left the house. She attempted to contact her husband to arrange for his surrender.
It was reported that no illegal items were discovered in the house. He was also not present at the hotel.
On October 26, police stormed Jinling, a nightclub operating illegally in three adjacent buildings on Charoen Rat Road in the Yannawa district, where 104 customers, 99 of whom were Chinese nationals, tested positive for drugs.
Mr. Chaiyanat was said to be the owner of the complex’s businesses and assets.
The hunt for Mr. Chaiyanat began yesterday, following former politician and massage parlour tycoon Chuwit Kamolvisit’s request that the Justice Ministry investigate Chinese triads he claimed were laundering drug money in Thailand through “grey businesses.”
He claimed last week that a triad boss named Tuhao fled the country on a private plane with the help of state officials, just hours after police raided a pub linked to him in Yannawa late last month.
Mr. Chuwit submitted documents on Monday relating to alleged triad assets in Thailand.
An informed source said last month that a probe into Mr. Chaiyanat’s 3 million baht donation to the Palang Pracharath Party might be launched.
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