A Thai man who had just bought a second-hand pickup truck from an auction house was shocked to find 20 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine (Ice) stashed in the audio system compartment, Thai Rath newspaper said this morning (March 27, 2021).
Pol. Lt. Col. Supakorn Kaewkhiao, deputy chief of Bang Na police station, led a team to the auction house on Debaratana Road to inspect the Isuzu D-Max pickup truck that had been registered in Phuket.
The auction house management said they had sold the vehicle to the buyer for over 200,000 baht but he returned it after having found the drug within the vehicle.Â
The discovery was made after the owner had taken the vehicle to get an audio system fitted in. When the mechanic removed a steel plate firmly affixed in front of the compartment for the audio system the 20 suspicious gold-colour bags were found within. He therefore quickly drove the vehicle back to the auction house and informed the police.
Pol. Lt. Col. Supakorn said each bag contained one kilogramme of Ice for a total of 20 kilogrammes worth 20 million baht.
This vehicle had been seized on September 17, 2018 after drug traffickers had left it at an oil palm plantation. Seized then was 280 kilogrammes of Ice worth 280 million baht.
The vehicle was then returned to Thanachart Bank, the owner, which later put it up for auction.
Initial investigation revealed that the drug was part of the large lot seized earlier and police are examining the new lot and trying to lift fingerprints.
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Top and Home Page: The pickup truck within which the large amount of Ice was seized. Photo: Thai Rath
