Mr X and the Laos Connection

In the cooler: Xaysana (left) and Tun Hung Seong (below) aka ‘The Malaysian Iceman’ in custody following their arrests over drug trafficking in Bangkok. — AFP

BANGKOK: The downfall of millionaire “Mr X”, long shielded by cash and contacts in Laos, has highlighted the role of the secretive, communist country in showering pills across South-East Asia.

Allegedly a key figure among gangs buying drugs from Myanmar’s meth labs, Laotian Xaysana Keophimpha – dubbed “Mr X”– is believed to have used his graft-riddled country to shuttle narcotics south, first through Thailand then into Malaysia.