A Cha-am drug seizure involving more than 8 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine and 10,000 methamphetamine pills followed a tip-off from inside Phetchaburi Central Prison, officials said.
The haul was announced at a press conference in front of Cha-am Police Station on June 11, attended by Phetchaburi Governor Pol Lt Phopchanok Chalanukroh, Phetchaburi Provincial Police commander Pol Maj Gen Kitti Suksomphak, Cha-am Police Station superintendent Pol Col Apirak Permchai, Phetchaburi Central Prison commander Mitrarun Phrom-in and Cha-am district chief Kaew Kongwong.
Officials said the operation began after prison officers monitoring a visitation room noticed suspicious behaviour during a visit to an inmate.
According to authorities, the inmate allegedly used the prison communication system to give coded instructions to relatives, telling them to go to a location in Cha-am district and dig up drugs that had been buried before his arrest.
The prison chief passed the information to Cha-am police, who moved to expand the investigation.
Prison intelligence leads to Cha-am drug seizure
Pol Lt Col Banchop Singsornsri, deputy superintendent for crime suppression at Cha-am Police Station, led patrol officers and investigators to cordon off scrubland in Hub Kapong village, Khao Yai subdistrict. Members of the Volunteer Defence Corps from Cha-am District Company 3 also joined the operation.
Because of the size of the search area and concerns that the drugs had been carefully hidden, police called in K9 sniffer dogs and an explosive ordnance disposal team from Naresuan Camp in Cha-am. A backhoe was later used to dig at locations indicated by the K9 unit.
Officers found eight green tea packets containing crystal methamphetamine, weighing a total of 8,442 grammes, and 10,029 methamphetamine pills buried underground. The items were seized as evidence.
Police said preliminary database checks linked the drugs to a case involving “Mr Nice”, a Thai national from Cha-am district who was killed earlier this month.
Officials believe the inmate who allegedly gave the order from prison may be connected to the same network. They said the drugs were likely part of the final batch held by the group for distribution and would have had an estimated street value of more than 2 million baht.
Governor Pol Lt Phopchanok praised the coordination between Phetchaburi Central Prison, police and local administrative officials.
The seized drugs have been handed to investigators at Cha-am Police Station, who are continuing the investigation and preparing to seek arrest warrants for others allegedly involved.