West Africans, selling marijuana in Bangkok is a profitable business. One kilogramme bought for 10,000 baht in Nong Khai can be divided into small quantities and sold for up to 200 baht per gramme, depending on the perceived wealth of the customer.
The raid on November 30 was under the overall command of the NSB Commissioner, Pol Lt-Gen Wut Liptapallop and his deputy, Pol Maj-Gen Aditep Panjamanond. Pol Maj-Gen Amaresrit, who assigned Pol Col Ittipol Kitsuwan from Division 1 to put everything together, was in charge of planning, execution and coordination of the operations with other agencies, such as the Office of the Narcotics Control Board and the Food and Drug and Administration. The operation was observed by officers from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). They have been working with the Thai anti-narcotics agencies for decades and have collaborated in many large seizures and arrests of important drug traffickers.
According to Pol Maj-Gen Amaresrit, a number of a foreign drug gangs are currently active in Thailand, but the syndicates from West African nations are the most troublesome.
They are the most lethal and dangerous, because they are selling drugs locally. Amaresrit noted.
He added: "Several West African gangs are active now in Thailand and we are going after them. They smuggle drugs, especially heroin, from Thailand to other countries and import cocaine and other drugs to Thailand. Many live here illegally, without a passport, or possess a counterfeit or altered one. Some have overstayed their visas." Jachike was found to be in possession of a South African passport with his photo in it, but he told the police during a later interrogation that he is a Nigerian national. A Lesotho passport with a photo of another person was also found in his room. Another suspect who gave his name as Mayabma produced no passport and didn't give his nationality. There are several hundreds West Africans in Thai jails now.
"The heads of the syndicates are very clever," he continued. "They don't live in the areas where the gangs operate, but in suburbs like Phrakanong or Prawet where we have less control over them. Their people stay around Sukhumvit and sell drugs to the locals. More often than not but they are addicted themselves, usually to cocaine," Amaresrit said.
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