A search conducted yesterday at Sakhon Nakhon provincial prison found more than 100 inmates - out of 135 women and 1,024 men - positive for drug use in urine tests, mobile phones, drug taking paraphernalia and gambling gear.
Drug syndicates are now avoiding northern routes to transport drugs to Bangkok because there are too many checkpoints. Instead, they are using northeastern road networks, mainly in the lower Northeast, to transport drugs after "temporarily storing" them in two neighbouring countries, said Witthawal Sunthrnkhajit, director of Narcotics Control Board Region 3, which is responsible for operations in eight provinces in the lower Northeast.
The supply from a neighbouring country has also dwindled after a peace deal was struck between ethnic minority groups and government troops, so the NCB and police military joint operations are now focusing on the lower Northeast and making more arrests, he said. Lao authorities were cooperating with drug suppression efforts.
Officials planning a sweep
"Any goods going between the two countries and bypassing border checkpoints are deemed illegal, making joint operations easier," he said.
Local government officials were involved in the drug trade and evidence was being compiled against them. They would be arrested soon in a sweep operation, he said.
Police in Nakhon Ratchasima caught two men, Phongkrit Thipkhokekruad 26, and Phong, 18, using a remote controlled plane to deliver mobile phones and equipment to inmates in Khlong Phai Prison. Two accomplices are on the run, police said.
The plane, which was launched one kilometre away from the prison, was carrying six handsets and three chargers.
The men confessed to receiving Bt20,000 for this job from a man with links to drugdealing inmates.
The Justice Ministry is seeking Bt1 billion to build a super maximum prison that costs more than five times a conventional prison to operate.
It would accommodate high profile drug related convicts. With an approved budget, construction would commence next year and take three years to complete.
The Supermax is the final of four measures to deal with the longstanding problem of inmates continuing to deal in drugs with the assistance of corrupt guards.
The first measure was moving 500 inmates from all prisons and sending them to Khao Bin Prison in Ratchaburi, and the second was installing mobile phone jammers at three other prisons.
A maximum security detention centre will also be built at Nakhon Ratchasima Prison to confine high profile convicts. Stricter safeguards such as recording conversations between prisoners and visitors, installing security cameras and restricting parcels for inmates will be imposed at all prisons housing high profile drug related inmate.
Kendo.
