Anti-drug campaign aided by pandemic checking
More than 5,800 suspects have been arrested and 233 million methamphetamine or “speed” pills seized during a regional anti-drug campaign that has benefited from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Niyom Termrisuk, secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), said the mushrooming number of checkpoints due to the outbreak has led to more drug arrests for the six-nation Safe Mekong Operation project.
The Safe Mekong Operation, which kicked off in 2013, saw Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and China unite in the fight against drug trafficking along the 4,880-kilometer Mekong River, which runs through each country.
“More travellers are being screened in every country, which makes drug trafficking a lot more difficult,” Mr Niyom said at a press briefing yesterday.
KING-OUA LAOHONG
