Thai police arrest another Malaysian, suspected key drug syndicate member

Thai authorities arrested another Malaysian man suspected to be a key member of a drug syndicate at the busy Suvarnabhumi International Airport yesterday evening before he could board a flight back to Malaysia.

The man, 44, from Penang was nabbed at 7pm (local time) following surveillance by Thai authorities over his alleged role in two failed attempts to smuggle drugs into Malaysia early this year and late last year.

"The Malaysian man arrived in Bangkok about two weeks ago and has been under constant surveillance by the police ever since," said the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) deputy head Maj Gen Pornchai Charoenwong at airport yesterday.

According to him, the man was believed to be the key figure behind the discovery of 87kg of "Ice" in a rented house in Hatyai January this year and the seizure of 52.4kg of heroin and 41.9kg of "Ice" from a car driven by two Malaysian men in Chumphon Dec last year.

During investigation, the two detained Malaysian men late last year said Pornchai had disclosed to the authorities about the involvement of the Penang man in those two drug smuggling cases.

"He has been travelling into Thailand many times before this to order the drugs. Once he has brokered the deal, he will go back to Malaysia and wait for the delivery," he said adding that the police are continuing their investigation on the man and his syndicate.

The arrest of the Penang man yesterday, followed another high profile arrest of a Malaysian man who was also accused of being a senior figure of an international drug syndicate, at Hatyai airport last Wednesday.

The man dubbed "Mr T" from Johor, is alleged to be responsible for several attempts to smuggle hundreds of kilogrammes of "Ice" into Malaysia and running business operations to launder money gained from the drug activities.

-- BERNAMA