Myanmar man, Filipino nabbed in separate drug smuggling cases

BANGKOK, Aug 2 - A Myanmar man was arrested for smuggling 20 kg of crystal methamphetamine, or crystal meth, commonly known as 'ice', worth Bt60 million (over US$1.8 million) together with two bombs, in Chiang Mai, while a Filipino woman was detained at Suvarnabhumi Airport with four kilos of cocaine, Thai police said on Monday.

Laota Yang, a Myanmar man of Chinese origin, was arrested near the
Thai-Myanmar border at Doi Angkhang in Chiang Mai's Fang district with crystal meth valued at Bt60 million and two explosive devices.

Following a tip that Mr Yang was a major drug agent in the northern
region, combined narcotics suppression and Border Patrol Police Region 3 feigned buying the illicit drug from the suspect for Bt900,000 (over $2,700) per kilo.

Mr Yang was charged with possessing the illicit drug for sale and having explosive devices without legal permission.

In another drug-related case, the narcotics suppression police detained Icoy Bethlehem Mamontong, a 32-year-old Filipino woman, with four kilos of cocaine concealed in aluminium foil coffee bags at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Ms Mamontong was allegedly hired by a transnational drugs syndicate to smuggle the cocaine from the Peruvian capital of Lima into Thailand,intending to sell the drugs to tourists and Thais alike in tourist destinations.

Police charged her with possession of and smuggling the drug for resale in the kingdom. (MCOT online news)