At a press conference held at Phuket Provincial Police Headquarters on Saturday (Apr 4), Pol Maj Gen Sinlert Sukhum, Commander of Phuket Provincial Police, confirmed that a total of 197,800 ya bah pills had been seized in coordinated operations across Phuket City and Cherng Talay.
He was joined by senior officers including deputy commanders Pol Col Akanit Danpitaksat and Pol Col Kitipong Klaikaew, Phuket City Police Chief Pol Col Chatree Chukaew, Investigation Division chief Pol Col Ekalak Boonsangcharoen and Cherng Talay Police Chief Pol Col Ekkarat Plaiduang.
The crackdown follows earlier intelligence sharing between Phuket City Police and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), after 19,892 ya bah pills were seized in Satun on Mar 30. The drugs in that case had also been concealed inside Aconatic brand evaporative air coolers and shipped via a private courier service.
Further investigation revealed a wider network using similar methods, with at least seven parcels sent from Bangkok to Phuket. Six were destined for areas under Cherng Talay and Phuket City Police jurisdictions.
On Apr 2, at about 7:30am, officers from multiple agencies ‒ including Phuket City Police, Cherng Talay Police, Narcotics Suppression Center Region 8 and ONCB Region 8 ‒ launched a coordinated surveillance operation at parcel depots in Mueang Phuket and Thalang.
In Phuket City, four suspicious packages were tracked to a tattoo shop in Ratsada. Two parcels contained Venz brand Brezentry model coolers, while two others were disguised as boxes of milk.
When the delivery arrived, no one initially came forward to collect the items. Officers maintained surveillance until 12:53am on Apr 3, when two individuals arrived to inspect and retrieve the packages.
Police moved in and identified the suspects, both juveniles, one from Surat Thani, the other from Rawai.
A search of the packages revealed a total of 97,800 ya bah pills hidden inside ‒ 40,000 pills in each of the two cooler units, and a further 17,800 pills concealed in the milk boxes.
Both juveniles were arrested and charged with jointly selling a Category 1 narcotic with intent to distribute without permission. They were handed over to investigators at Phuket City Police Station for legal proceedings.
CHERNG TALAY SEIZURE ADDS 100,000 PILLS
In a related operation in Cherng Talay, two packages containing Aconatic brand floor-standing air coolers were delivered to what police identified as ‘Sabays Restaurant’ in Moo 6.
As in the earlier case, no one arrived to receive the delivery. Officers maintained a stakeout until about 1am on Apr 3 before moving in to inspect the packages.
Inside, they found 100,000 methamphetamine pills ‒ 50,000 concealed in each unit ‒ bringing the total seized in the operation to 197,800 pills.
Police said the drugs seized in the latest operation have an estimated street value exceeding B10 million.
All seized narcotics and packaging will undergo forensic examination to identify DNA traces and latent fingerprints, as investigators work to identify those behind the network.
Pol Maj Gen Sinlert said authorities are accelerating efforts to trace the origin and distribution routes of the drugs, with further arrests expected as the investigation expands.
Officials emphasised that the operation reflects increased coordination between provincial police and national anti-narcotics agencies in targeting organised drug trafficking networks using courier services to move illicit drugs into Phuket.