Bangkok—
At 7:00 AM, on December 15th, 2023, Pol. Lt. Gen. Panurat Lakboon, the assistant national police chief, dispatched more than 250 police officers on a narcotic substance search operation in 50 locations across Bangkok.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Panurat publicly revealed that the drug search operation aimed to eradicate local drug dealers in the Bangkok area and bring drug addicts into the rehabilitation process.
As a result, it was reported that two suspects allegedly possessed illicit substances, and seven people volunteered to receive rehabilitation.
The purpose of the search operation was to build trust and confidence in law enforcement among locals and communities in the Bangkok area.
With local cooperation, the police were able to track down the majority of drug dealers and bring drug-addicted individuals into the rehabilitation process, said Pol. Lt. Gen. Panurat.
Initially, the police officers would screen the drug addicts into groups according to the record of the types of illicit substances before transferring them to the Public Health Service Center in Bangkok.