Assets worth about 1.38 billion baht were impounded for examination during police searches of three houses of suspected members of a drug network in Chiang Rai province on Wednesday.
Department of Special Investigation (DSI) officers and local police searched two houses in tambon Wiang Phang Kham, Mae Sai district, and another in tambon Pasak, Chiang Saen district. The operation was led by Tanin Prempree, deputy director of the Bureau of Consumer Crime Protection.
They seized a large quantity of documents at the three houses. Financial transactions revealed about 1.9 billion baht in circulation.
Also impounded for further examination were 246 bank accounts, 155 cars and motorcycles worth about 130 million baht, and land title deeds for 232 blocks of land worth about 1.25 billion baht. The total worth was about 1.38 billion baht, Mr Tanin said.
Mr Tanin said the DSI would summons people who owned the assets to explain how they were acquired. If they could not provide credible evidence, the assets would be confiscated under the Narcotics Act (2021).
Legal action would also be taken against them under the Money Laundering Prevention and Suppression Act (1999) and for tax evasion under the Revenue Code.
The DSI took this action at the request of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, he said.
