Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) police on Wednesday seized about 100 million baht worth of assets suspected to have been acquired through the drug trade for examination, during searches of 31 premises in five provinces, and arrested one suspect.
Pol Gen Roy Ingkapairote, a deputy police chief, said the searches were made at 15 spots in Chiang Rai, nine in Bangkok, three each in Pathum Thani and Nong Khai and one in Chon Buri.
The searches followed an earlier operation in an area adjoining Bangkok and Pathum Thani during which police arrested eight suspects, including alleged ringleader Prasert Yommana, and seized 399 bars of heroin weighing 139 kilogrammes and 3kg of crystal methamphetamine.
NSB police later obtained court warrants for the arrest of three other suspects in Mr Prasert's network - Atong, aka Arthit, Cheewinpathomwong, 53, Chanoknat Payomhom, 46 and a man identified only as Sunny.
In an expanded operation, police on Wednesday arrested Mr Atong at a house in Soi Phetkasem 65 in Bangkok's Bang Khae district before proceeding to seize his property - a condominium room in tambon Thung Sukla in Chon Buri's Si Racha district, a house in tambon Rangsit in Pathum Thani's Thanyaburi district and a pickup truck.
Another police team searched the premises of Cleanmax Company, which runs cleaning services, in tambon Lam Luk Ka, Pathum Thani that belonged to Ms Chanoknat and Mr Sunny, who remained at large.
According to Pol Gen Roy, about 100 million baht's worth of assets were seized in this operation. They included two hotels, eight single houses, one grocery shop, five condominium rooms, a room in a commercial building, a company building, three vacant plots of land, 12 cars, 12 motorcycles and 15 guns.
