SONGKHLA: Three Malaysian men were arrested at Hat Yai Railway Station in Songkhla on July 31, on suspicion of trying to smuggle 87kg of syabu (crystal methamphetamine) concealed in three wheeled suitcases and three backpacks.
Thailan's Region 9 Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) director Ratchapon Palakul said the arrest was made by the "Tawan Hat Yai" unit in a joint operation with the railway police, the Crime Suppression Division (CSD), the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD), the tourist police, the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB), and the Region 9 ONCB.
He said the suspects boarded a train in Bangkok bound for Hat Yai and were intercepted upon arrival at the railway station.
"Initial investigations found that one of the suspects admitted to having been offered RM8,000 each by a syndicate to smuggle the syabu or 'ice' into Malaysia," he said, when contacted here on Tuesday (Aug 4).
Ratchapon said the three suspects have been charged with the joint charges of possessing and trafficking Category 1 narcotics for the purpose of distribution, which carries a prison sentence of up to 15 years and a fine of not more than 1.5 million baht (approximately RM183,000), upon conviction.
He said investigations are being expedited to identify the mastermind other accomplices in the cross-border drug trafficking syndicate. - Bernama
