Big lot of marijuana seized in Nakhon Phanom

NAKHON PHANOM, June 1 (TNA) - The Thai authorities arrested a Lao man in the northeastern border province of Nakhon Phanom and confiscated 840 kilogrammes of marijuana with a street value of about fifteen million baht in his possession. A 40-year-old Lao man was arrested with 840 kilogrammes of compressed marijuana in his possession while he and other five men were transporting the illegal drug on a motor-powered boat. The arrest was made when they arrived at the bank of the Songkram River, connecting the Mekong River at Thai-Lao border in Tha Uthen district. Other suspects fled the scene and remain at large. The arrested Lao man confessed that he was hired to smuggle marijuana into Thailand. The arrest was revealed at a press conference on the joint operation to crack down on narcotics, held by Nakhon Phanom governor, Somchai Witdamrong, Rear Admiral Wara Thankham, Commander of Mekong Riverine Unit in Nakhon Phanom and Pol Maj Gen Suwicharn Yankittikul, Commander of the Nakhon Phanom provincial police. Last year, the Thai authorities seized more than tree tons of marijuana in total. Officials have stepped up security and cracked down on drug smuggling along the border. (TNA)