Thai Crime for November 26th, 2020: Justice Minister lays out legal plan to take down drug syndicates; Another 750,000 yaba tabs seized in south
New drug war strategy? Same same, but different.
Thailand in 2021: New Drug War Strategy
It's simple: just make more busts, bub!
When: November 27th, 2020
Where: National Defense Studies Institute (สถาบันวิชาการป้องกันประเทศ); Thailand
Perpetrators: n/a
Victims: Drug smugglers, addicts, and profiteers
What: Mr. Somsak Thepsutin, Justice Minister, spoke at length today about Thailand's strategy in its war on drugs for 2021. He detailed two key points.
First, seize more drugs. A total of 700 million baht worth of illegal drugs have been seized by Thai law enforcement since October 1st, 2020. The Justice Minister advised that a clear scorecard must be tallied to account for property seizures in conjuction with drug busts in accordance with the Suppresion of Narcotics Act (Thai Year 2534).
Second, the Anti-Money Laundering Act must be executed if other avenues in the law fail at making inroads to destroy a drug syndicate. The Justice Minister advised that the Ministry of Finance and Revenue will need to act together for this to work.
More than 20 agencies were referenced that are involved in fighting the illicit drug trade.
The event showcased 39 vehicles that were seized from drug syndicates, with an approximate value of 26 million baht.
My take: The Justice Minister, from my vantage point, can't see the forest for the trees. Coordinating 20 agencies, all with their own internal politics, and bringing in more Ministers, won't stop the problem. The mind-blowing flow of illicit narcotics from Myanmar into Thailand and off to greener pastures is ruled by simple economics. Supply and demand. The demand outweighs a legal supply, therefore the incentive to be in the business will always be there.
Take down one syndicate with money laundering statutes, another will pop up in its place that's smarter and more efficient.
750,000 Yaba Tabs Nabbed at Southern Border
A poor effort. Couldn't even make it an even million tabs!
When: November 27th, 2020
Where: Pasemas subdistrict, Su-ngai Kolok district, Narathiwat province
Perpetrators: Mr. Ameen Suta, 28
Victims: Addicts, a pissed off drug boss
What: Mr. Suta was arrested today in his pick-up truck where police also found 750,000 yaba tabs. The red pills were intended for export to neighboring countries, from Thailand's tumultuous southern border into Malaysia and beyond. Mr. Suta confessed without resistance or any further incident.
My take: This was a small score, but underlines the point that Thailand fights yaba smuggling on every front. From the border in the north with Burma, the northeast with Laos and Cambodia, and in the south with Malaysia, Thai army and law enforcement have their hands full.