Three men were arrested after 600,000 methamphetamine pills with a street value of 180 million baht were found hidden in a Mercedes-Benz in Bangkok.
Yutthana Sae Heng, 40; Sompob Raksawong, 38, and Santi Porncharoentham, 39, were apprehended in Soi On Nut 80 in Prawet district.
Police seized 600,000 methamphetamine pills, a Mercedes-Benz, a Honda Civic and four mobile phones as evidence, Metropolitan Police Bureau chief Sanit Mahathavorn said during a media briefing on Wednesday.
The arrests followed a tip-off that illicit drugs would be smuggled into Bangkok from the northeastern border province of Bung Kan in a convoy of two cars on Tuesday, Pol Lt Gen Sanit said.
A team from Metropolitan Police Division 8 had closely watched the two suspected cars, which had Bangkok licence plates and were later stopped for a search on Soi On Nut 80.
Found inside the Mercedes-Benz were packages containing 600,000 speed pills hidden in the sedan’s speakers and beneath the spare tyre well. The seized drugs were worth about 180 million baht.
Mr Yutthana and Mr Sompob were in the car during the search. The Honda was also stopped and Mr Santi was arrested.
Mr Yutthana allegedly confessed he ran a motorcycle garage on Soi On Nut 80. He first became involved in drug smuggling five years ago, stopped doing it, and then later returned to it.
He said he had been offered 400,000 baht to smuggle the drugs from the Northeast to Bangkok. He admitted to making four deliveries of 600,000 speed pills each time, before being arrested, according to police.
Mr Yutthana said Mr Santi, his relative, was paid 50,000 baht to drive the Honda car in front of his as a look out and Mr Sompob, his friend, received 40,000 baht.
Police later seized a van and four motorcycles from Mr Yutthana's garage. They believed the vehicles may have been acquired with proceeds from drug dealing.
The trio were held in police custody for legal action.
