The Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) has approved a budget of 15 million baht to fund this year's bounty programme targeting 200 major drug traffickers.
The initiative has already led to the capture of the transnational drug lord Ong Kim Wah, resulting in the reduction of crystal meth supply in the market by 40%.
ONCB Secretary-General Pol Lt Gen Panurat Lakboon yesterday announced that the budget had been approved, saying the bounty programme has already disbursed 20.68 million baht in rewards and led to the domestic and international arrests of 29 individuals, including Ong.
He said Ong was sentenced to death by the Criminal Court on March 4. He was one of the most wanted persons under the bounty programme, with a reward of one million baht on his head.
Ong was involved in coordinating drug trades originating from the Golden Triangle, linking trafficking networks across Thailand, Malaysia, China, Singapore and Laos. He played a major role in smuggling narcotics through Thailand to third countries such as Malaysia, Taiwan and Australia.
He was captured in Laos through close cooperation between Thai and Lao authorities in late 2023, ending a 17-year-long manhunt. His network's assets worth over 85 million baht in Thailand and more than four billion baht in Malaysia were seized.
Pol Lt Gen Panurat also announced two additional key arrests.
Ms Pornkanok (surname withheld), a suspect linked to a drug-smuggling ring involving local government officials, was arrested in Chiang Mai last Thursday.
Two million meth pills belonging to her network were seized in Chiang Rai, and authorities have confiscated 50 million baht worth of assets so far.
Meanwhile, Mr Saengphet (surname withheld) was arrested in Nakhon Sawan. He oversaw drug transport into the inner parts of the country. Authorities seized his assets, including land and vehicles worth about 25 million baht.
These achievements highlight the success of international cooperation and intelligence integration in combating drug trafficking, said Pol Lt Gen Panurat.
