SARABURI EDITOR ARRESTED IN BIGGEST DRUG BUST THIS YEAR

The editor of the "Pa Loke" newspaper of Saraburi province, Wichen
Puapun, 49, and Sawat Sornsawan, 50, a resident of Chiang Mai's San
Pathong have been arrested in possession of 480,000 ya ba tablets.

The tablets were found in Wichen's car while they were driving along
the Chiang Mai-Lampang Superhighway to Bangkok in Hang Chat district,
Lampang on November 6. The two men were sent to the Provincial Police
Bureau Region 5 for questioning.

Police learned there were another six dealers involved when the two
confessed they bought the drugs at Ban Pang Mai Daeng, in tambon Keud
Chang, Mae Taeng district, Chiang Mai.

The next day, the police looked for the other six at tambon Toong Khao
Puang, Chiang Dao district and arrested Arle Sinchawang, 23, a
resident of Pai district, Mae Hong Son. The other five managed to
escape, but police did find 210,000 tablets inside a bucket buried in
the forest.

Arle said he and the other five who escaped had been armed with two
M-16s, an AK-47 and shotguns to defend themselves against the police
while transferring the drugs.

The three arrested men were taken to the Narcotics Suppression Bureau
for further criminal proceedings. This capture of 690,000 ya ba
tablets is the biggest drug bust in the North this year.