Presiding over a press conference at the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, Anutin, who also serves as interior minister, said drug suppression was a national priority and an urgent mission for the Royal Thai Police.
He emphasised the need to elevate Thailand’s drug enforcement strategy given the severe threat illicit narcotics pose to public safety. He also instructed police to seek international cooperation to combat transnational trafficking, reports the Bangkok Post.
Under the government’s anti-narcotics efforts, authorities in September busted nine major drug networks, arresting 16 suspects and seizing 18.5 million amphetamine pills, 1,488 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine and 29kg of ketamine.
The arrests were made in Nakhon Phanom, Saraburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, Kamphaeng Phet, Nakhon Sawan and Chiang Rai. They included raids on drug storage points and seizures of trafficking vehicles bound for the Central Plains and South.
In Suphan Buri, an operation led by the Special Operations Division of the Metropolitan Police Bureau broke up a major trafficking group, with one suspect wearing a monitoring bracelet in connection with a child abduction case.
Along the northeastern border, patrol officers arrested traffickers along the Mekong River in Nakhon Phanom and another gang in Bueng Kan.
In the 2025 fiscal year to Sept 30, the Royal Thai Police handled 265,446 drug-related cases and arrested 265,109 suspects. Seizures included 1.08 billion methamphetamine pills, 51,916kg of crystal meth, 6,031kg of ketamine and 11,294kg of heroin.