Police learned that a house in Soi Pasak 7, off the Cherng Talay-Bandon road, and close to Cherng Talay Police Station, was a site for “abandoned drug use by local individuals of misguided tendencies”.
Police descended on the building, where they encountered Chainarong Sawastawi from Nakorn Sri Thammarat, “behaving suspiciously”. They reported that he tried to hide his cache of drugs and flee.
He was caught and a search turned up 17 kilogrammes of kratom leaves in a fertilizer sack and 37 more in 200-litre plastic crates. Chainarong was sent with the evidence to Cherng Talay Police Station where he was booked on charges of possession of kratom leaves for sale.
Under questioning, Chainarong admitted buying the kratom for B3,000 from a man identified only as “Lick”, operating from a market in Nakorn Sri Thammarat.
The delivery was not detected at police checkpoints because the load was sent in a truck carrying vegetables to fresh markets in Thalang and Phuket.
Kratom seems to be experiencing a resurgence in popularity, with large loads seized almost daily in areas around the southern Thai border and Ranong.
Kratom (Mitragyna specios to give it it Linnean name) is native to Thailand, though possession of the leaves is illegal; they are classed as a category 5 drug, the same as cannabis and magic mushrooms. In low doses it has a calming effect, but in higher doses it is a mild stimulant lasting several hours.
See koon loy is a cocktail containing cola, cough mixture, kratom and ice and is particularly popular among teens in the south of Thailand.
– Source: Siang Tai