A PARAMILITARY unit together with border anti-narcotics officers seized a large amount of a new type of ecstasy pill cutely shaped like a teddy bear but having aphrodisiacal properties as well as some strong sleeping tablets on the Thai bank of Mekong river in Nakhon Phanom province last night (July 16), Sanook.com said today.
Col. Sukontharat Chaophong, who led the paramilitary unit from Surasak Montri Task Force, had been tipped off that drugs were going to be smuggled from Laos and dropped off at Ban Kham Phak Praew village, Nam Kam subdistrict, That Phanom district, and led the team to lie in wait there.
After a while a suspect came on a long-tail boat from Laos side and unloaded 2 black suitcases on the river bank but managed to escape before the team could arrest him.
Found in the two suitcases were 19 plastic bags containing 18,807 teddy-bear-shaped ecstasy pills. Also found were 73,746 strong sleeping pills, 34,949 in green blister packs and 19,990 in red ones.
Investigators said the teddy-bear-shaped ecstasy pills probably came from Europe and smuggled to Thailand from Laos. They are usually sold together with strong sleeping pills with the combination having an aphrodisiac effect. These pill sets are popular with youths and are sold at entertainment venues.
The price is high, costing 800 to 1,000 baht each with the total value of the seized drugs being 20 million baht.
Further investigation is under way with there being a press briefing on this drug seizure at the provincial Narcotics Prevention and Suppression Centre tomorrow.
CAPTION:
The seized teddy-bear-shaped ecstasy pills and sleeping tablets being counted by officers who mounted the raid last night. Photos: Sanook.com
Also read: Soldiers and drug runners clash at Golden Triangle
Thai-Australian joint action nets Ice hidden in old printer
New type of meth pills found in latest drug bust
Hong Kong seizes record HK$2.2bn worth of narcotics
Love Chocolates Community 