Suspected major drug dealer busted on bus when traveling back from hideout in Laos
An alleged Thai drug dealer was arrested on a bus while travelling back from a hideout in neighbouring Laos.
Anuwat Pimwongsa, 21, allegedly acted as a scout driver for a major drug network before fleeing Thailand.
He reportedly used a Toyota Vios to check routes for checkpoints and lead cars carrying narcotics shipments.
But he fled to his father's home in Laos after a drug bust near Bangkok in March.
Police arrested two suspected drug runners, New and March, with 60kg of illegal drugs, but Anuwat had crossed through the Thai-Laos border to evade detention.
Investigators this month learned that Anuwat, believing the case had died down, was planning to return to Thailand through an unofficial border route.
He reportedly travelled by minivan to Roi Et province, then boarded a bus towards Bangkok.
Police set up surveillance before finding an individual matching the suspect at the Future Park Rangsit mall, just north of the capital city, on September 14.
They confirmed Anuwat's identity and arrested him. He was charged with illegally selling Category 1 and 2 narcotics, and conspiring to commit serious offences related to narcotics.
He has denied the charges, claiming he was unaware of the items being delivered.
He said he was recruited by New and Arm to move the goods, which he believed to be illegal cigarettes, for 4,000 baht per trip.
Officials said Anuwat was allegedly part of an organised drug gang with defined roles and responsiblities.
Police Major General Theerachart Theerachartdamrong, commander of the Special Service Division, said: 'Some individuals recruited to transport the goods are enticed by substantial pay and led to believe they are simply hired to move the goods, without knowing the mastermind or intended recipient.
'Roles and duties are deliberately compartmentalised to minimise the risk of law enforcement tracing the operation back to the mastermind and the wider network.'
The police chief added that Anuwat was escorted to the Special Service Division before being handed over to the inquiry officer for further legal proceedings.
Thailand has become a notorious hub for drug use, production, and trafficking. In the north of the country, the ‘Golden Triangle' area shares borders with Laos and Myanmar, and has produced large amounts of opium since the 1950s but focus in recent years has shifted to the more profitable methamphetamine.
Officials believe most of the meth is produced in the Shan State of Myanmar before being distributed through neighbouring countries where prices are higher before ending up in the most expensive markets of Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore.
However, cracking down on drug production has been complicated by the influx of crime gangs from China and the Burmese civil war, which has seen the army take over the country - along with control of lucrative drugs chains.
