Bangkok: The owner of a bank account used to facilitate the transfer of funds for shipping jars of tamarind paste concealing crystal meth to Japan has been apprehended by authorities. The account holder, Mr. Sompong Kaewphadee, claims that he opened the account for the use of his Vietnamese girlfriend.
According to Thai News Agency, the arrest followed a report from Ms. Patcharanan, who works as a smuggler between Thailand and Japan. She was approached by a Facebook user named 'Chayamin Pai' on July 3rd to transport goods to Japan. The shipment included six jars of tamarind juice and other consumer products, weighing around 10 kilograms. Ms. Patcharanan noticed something suspicious about the tamarind juice jars, which led her to discover a hard, white object inside a clear plastic bag. She reported the incident to Bang Yi Khan police on July 11th, which led to the discovery of methamphetamine hidden inside the six jars, totaling approximately 2 kilograms.
The investigation, conducted by Bangkok Metropolitan Police in collaboration with other agencies, resulted in the arrest of Mr. Sompong Kaewphadee, 50, at his residence in Pathum Thani Province. He is charged with "participating in a transnational organized crime group." Mr. Sompong alleged that his Vietnamese girlfriend, Mali, who is currently in Vietnam, used his bank account for convenience due to her foreigner status. Further investigation linked the payments for smuggling activities to Mr. Sompong's bank account.
Authorities are continuing to expand the investigation and will hand over Mr. Sompong to investigators at Bang Yi Khan Police Station for further legal action.