TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Cooperation between Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) and the United States resulted in a find of nearly 100 kilograms of heroin and crystal meth in Bangkok destined for the island.
An investigation involving the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the CIB and the Royal Thai Police (RTP) resulted in the drugs find Monday (July 15) night and to the arrest of three suspects, of Thai, Chinese and mixed Chinese-Myanmar nationality, the Central News Agency reported.
A Taiwanese with a drugs past had just left prison on the island when he was spotted traveling to Thailand, leading the CIB to believe he was trying to re-establish contacts in order to return to international drugs smuggling, according to reports.
Following the coordination of resources between the services of the three countries, the RTP raided two apartments in central Bangkok Monday night, finding about 80 kilos of heroin and 15 kg of crystal meth.
The group had planned to hide the drugs inside shoes and medicine containers to smuggle to Taiwan, where their total value could reach NT$200 million (US$6.4 million), the Liberty Times reported.
The CIB said it was continuing its investigation to find out more about the Taiwanese side of the smuggling operation.
Just last week, the commissioner of Thailand’s Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB), Chinnapat Sarasin, visited Taiwan to thank the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB) for its assistance in nabbing a drugs gang in Chiang Mai last May.