Bangkok—
On February 21st, 2024, Pol. Lt. Gen. Panurat Lakboon, the Secretary-General of the Office of the Thai Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), launched a search operation together with 200 officers in the Nana area, Bangkok, to deter and prevent narcotic crimes.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Panurat publicly revealed that locals filed complaint reports of witnessing a group of foreigners selling illicit substances to Thai and foreign tourists in the Nana area, causing insecurity in life.
Previously, there was a case of a Swiss tourist found dead from taking exceeding doses of cocaine. Upon police investigation, it was found that the Swiss tourist bought the illicit substance from a group of West African people in the Nana area, according to Pol. Lt. Gen. Panurat.
As a result, ONCB and relevant agencies investigated the area to deter and eradicate drug trafficking in the area by searching hotels, entertainment venues, and other locations. ONCB inspected more than 100 suspected individuals and found one person possessing 3.8 grams of cocaine and one person had overstayed, according to Pol. Lt. Gen. Panurat.
In a week of police inspection, six West African suspects allegedly linked to a drug trafficking network were captured with cocaine and heroin, and property in dispute worth more than 4.6 million baht, according to Pol. Lt. Gen. Panurat.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Panurat added that this operation was in accordance with the Thai government policy to eradicate illicit substances and crimes in tourist attraction areas. If anyone suspects an illegal act, please dial 1386 to report it to the ONCB.
