Officials yesterday praised a joint operation with Thai authorities that led to Thailand’s largest-ever drug seizure, consisting of almost 12 tonnes of ketamine and precursor chemicals worth an estimated 30 billion baht (US$994.6 million).
Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau Director-General Leu Wen-jong (呂文忠) told a news conference in Taipei yesterday that the operation’s success was due to diligent work and coordination between law enforcement authorities in Taiwan and Thailand, and “after wrapping up, Thai authorities sent us a thank-you letter.”
Leu was joined by officials from agencies that had also contributed to the operation, including regional bureau offices, the Customs Administration and district prosecutors’ offices.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
The Thai government announced the bust on Thursday, when Thai Minister of Justice Somsak Thepsuthin and Narcotics Control Board Deputy Secretary-General Wichai Chaimongkol presented the seizure of the ketamine, found at a warehouse in the Bang Pakong District of Chachoengsao Province.
The case began on Sept. 23 when customs officers at the Keelung Port discovered a shipping container from Thailand listed as containing 16 tonnes of calcium carbonate, Leu said.
Upon inspection, the officers found 12 bags containing a total of about 300kg of ketamine, he said.
The bureau set up a task force with the Customs Administration, the Keelung District Prosecutors’ Office and police to investigate.
After tracing the cargo’s owners, the bureau coordinated with other agencies to carry out raids in late September and last month, arresting suspects believed to have arranged for the drugs to be shipped to Taiwan, Leu said.
The task force learned that the shipment originated at an undisclosed warehouse in Chachoengsao, he said, adding that the bureau passed this information to their Thai counterparts.
Bureau officials worked with Thai customs officers and the Thai Narcotics Suppression Bureau for nearly two months before locating the warehouse, he said.
According to Thai media reports, Thai authorities on Thursday raided the warehouse, where they seized a record haul of 11.65 tonnes of ketamine.
Authorities found 66 25kg sacks of ketamine, as well as 10 tonnes of chemicals believed to be used to manufacture the drug, reports said.
“We assumed that these bags of ketamine will be exported overseas and some drug dealer networks in Thailand had agreed to transfer them to other countries and international agencies,” Wichai was quoted by Thai media as saying.
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