Thailand strengthens fights against drug crimes

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that 3-6 billion tablets of methamphetamine were smuggled through Thailand in 2021.(Photo: thaipbsworld.com)

Speaking at a press conference on January 2, the Royal Thai Army’s deputy spokeswoman Maj-General Sirichan Ngathong said that last year, its seven territorial protection forces along the borders carried out patrols and monitoring operations by joining forces with police and Interior Ministry officials.

They seized 181.933 million meth pills, 201,617 ecstasy pills, 2,875kg of ice, 51.29kg of heroin, 441.90kg of ketamine, and 47.16kg of raw opium.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that 3-6 billion tablets of methamphetamine were smuggled through Thailand in 2021.

Jeremy Douglas, the UNODC regional representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, called the scale of the methamphetamine trade “staggering”.

He warned it will continue to expand if the region does not address the root causes, including governance in the Golden Triangle and market demand.

Organised crime have all the ingredients in place that they need to continue to grow the business, he said./.

VNA