90kg of crystal meth dumped into canal by smugglers escaping from drug bust
Locals in a village in central Thailand were left in shock after discovering close to 90kg of crystal meth dumped in a canal.
Authorities later linked the find to a massive drug bust involving nearly 300kg of meth and hundreds of kilos of marijuana worth over S$3.2 million.
Massive pile of drugs found floating along canal
On Monday (18 Aug), villagers in Samut Songkhram province spotted dozens of plastic-wrapped packages drifting in a canal surrounded by thick vegetation.
According to Khaosod, police later confirmed the contents as 87kg of crystal meth.
Source: Khaosod
The bizarre discovery came just hours after officers arrested two drug smugglers nearby.
Interrogations revealed that the pair — a 31-year-old man from Nan province and his 23-year-old accomplice — had dumped the drugs before attempting to escape to Bangkok.
With the canal stash included, the duo are now facing charges for trafficking a staggering 297kg of crystal meth.
Meth hidden in rambutans
According to Thairath, the massive bust occurred earlier in the day after police received a tip.
On Sunday afternoon, a courier noticed some peculiarities on a package headed towards southern Thailand.
The job was supposed to involve transporting around 100 boxes of dried mangosteen. But when he turned up, the smugglers swapped the cargo for 21 boxes of rambutans.
Suspicious, the courier inspected the boxes and found them stuffed with tightly wrapped plastic packages.
He discovered that the packages were filled with illicit drugs, prompting him to then alert the police.
Authorities arrived at the address, a pool villa, and began searching a transport vehicle.
Inside it, they found 21 boxes labelled as rambutans that had been filled to the brim with packages of drugs.
Source: Thairath
Although they were able to seize the 210kg of crystal meth on the property, the two culprits had already fled the premises.
Authorities also seized an additional 390kg worth of marijuana.
It is estimated that the total worth of the drugs seized is around 81 million baht (S$3.2 million).
Source: MGR Online
Drugs smuggled from north, bound for south
Authorities believe the syndicate had been trafficking drugs from northern Thailand to southern provinces, likely for export overseas.
Their plan, however, unravelled when the courier refused to play along.
He was reportedly offered ฿10,000 (S$395) to move the “fruit boxes”, but instead became the whistleblower who triggered one of the year’s largest drug seizures.
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Featured image adapted from Khaosod.
