CHUMPHON -- Two men were arrested on Tuesday after police pulled over two vans packed with 448 kilogrammes of marijuana destined for the South.
Pol Lt Col Thesa Siriwatho, the Region 8 Provincial Police chief, said the first van driven by Chatree Chui-ui, 27, of Bung Kan's Pak Khat district, was stopped for a search by police at a checkpoint at Ban Phala in tambon Chaiyarat of Pathiu district.
The police found bars of compressed marijuana weighing 250kg, hidden in a false compartment under the van's roof. They became suspicious after seeing a sticker showing a pair of reddish-gold fish on the rear window because they remembered that another van with a similar sticker had just passed the checkpoint unchecked.
Following radio contact, another police checkpoint managed to intercept the other van, driven by Uthai Surapin, 31, of Udon Thani's Phen district. Found in the van were bars of compressed marijuana weighing 198kg.
According to police, Mr Uthai said he had been hired to deliver marijuana to the South at least 200 times in the past three years. This time he was delivering the drugs to Hat Yai. He said he was paid 100,000 baht for each trip.