A narcotics police officer in Chiang Mai was dismissed from the services today pending an investigation after he was arrested while attempting to smuggle 800,000 methamphetamine tablets and one kilogramme of Ice from Chiang Rai province to Bangkok.
Pol Lt-Col Chamnan Poongpaichit, deputy superintendent of Chakprakarn police in Chiang Mai, was held in custody after police manning a checkpoint in Huey Kai, Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai found the drugs in a luggage on the Toyota Fortuner in which he was driving.
Chamnan reported admitted that he agreed to deliver the drugs worth about 164 million baht to a customer in Bangkok in exchange for three million baht service fees. He also told his police interrogators that he badly in need of money to repay his three million baht in debts with the police cooperatives and for two houses he bought on high purchase.
Pol Lt-Col Chamnan earned the reputation of being a tough drug buster while serving at Sob Prab district police in Lampang. He was also entrusted by his immediate boss at Region 5 Provincial Police Bureau to educate and train young police officers on the tactics of busting drug trafficking.
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Thai Police Deputy Commissioner Pol Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen, meanwhile, visited Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai to meet police station heads in the area, where he also met with the suspects held for questioning.
Gen Pongsapat said that all of the drugs are connected to drug kingpin Lt Col Yi Se’s drug trafficking syndicate.
He set up a special investigative unit from the Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) to help with the case for a quicker probe and results.
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