Social media users voiced mounting concern over the escalating problem of drug trafficking following the recent confiscation of a significant quantity of amphetamines in Bokeo Province. This recent event highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by local authorities in combating drug smuggling activities in the region.
One Facebook user referred to it as a “normal issue,” especially referring to the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (SEZ), where Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos meet.
Other social media users also expressed concern about traffickers consistently managing to evade police capture.
“This is one of the reasons why there is always drug trafficking,” a comment on Facebook read.
On 12 February, local police in Tonpheung district, Bokeo province, disclosed the seizure of 8 million amphetamines. The seizure occurred during a joint patrol operation spanning from Nyai Simuang Ngam village to Donethad village in Tonpheung district.
Authorities intercepted a suspicious vehicle identified as a black Toyota Vigo. Despite efforts to apprehend the driver, the individual managed to evade capture by wielding a pistol, posing a direct threat to the police officers involved.
Upon inspecting the vehicle, the police discovered a stash of 40 bags containing a total of 8,000,000 amphetamine pills, with 28 bags found inside the car and 12 on the back of the truck, weighing 800 kilograms in total.
Local police vowed to intensify efforts against amphetamine transportation. However, concerns persist among social media users, who highlight the repeated instances of traffickers eluding capture by law enforcement.
This recent drug bust echoes previous incidents across the region. In late August 2023, local police in the Golden Triangle SEZ uncovered 756 kilograms of methamphetamine pills following a car crash, yet the responsible drivers remain at large.
The same month, local authorities in Bokeo also seized 720 kilograms of methamphetamine pills and two pick-up trucks after a resident tip-off about drug trafficking operations in Sidonmeuang village, Tonpheung district. The smugglers managed to escape from law enforcement, abandoning both the drugs and their identification documents.
In a separate case earlier last year, Bokeo police seized 1,436 kilograms of methamphetamine in Tonpheung district, where the authorities intercepted two trucks carrying the drugs, shooting out a tire to stop them. Despite confiscating the drugs, the traffickers also escaped, prompting a search for them and other suspects.
As local police intensify efforts to crack down on drug trafficking through drug seizures, residents are urging authorities to address the issue comprehensively, calling for the apprehension of traffickers and their punishment in accordance with the law.
