SPEED SMUGGLED TO THAILAND IN MASSES

Traffickers Change Routes After Seizure

Between 60 and 65 million speed pills are being smuggled monthly into the
north and northeast from Burma and Laos.

Pitthaya Jinawat, director of the northern drug suppression centre, said
latest statistics showed that 45-50 million methamphetamine pills were
being smuggled monthly into Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and other northern
provinces, and another 15 million into the northeast.

The production capacity of 40-50 methamphetamine factories in Burma and
between 20-30 plants in Laos would total 800 million speed pills or more
this year, he said.

He added that heroin production capacity would this year increase 20% to
about 90 tonnes _ 72 tonnes in Burma and 18 tonnes in Laos. About six
tonnes of raw opium was expected to come from Thailand this year.

Mr Pitthaya said more drug traffickers had switched their usual routes
along the western border to those along the eastern border after the recent
seizure of 1.8 million speed pills brought into the country from Burma via
Laos.

An anti-drug meeting at the Third Army headquarters in Phitsanulok
yesterday was told about the necessity to step up measures to combat drug
smuggling along the eastern border and the Mekong river, he said.

Officials also expected more Ecstasy and Ice pills on the market because
these drugs could also be produced by methamphetamine factories.

He said the amount of heroin smuggled via Thailand to the rest of the world
was expected to rise from 30% since China's success in blocking drug routes
would force traffickers to use Thailand as gateway.

Intelligence officers of the northern drug suppression centre have met to
prepare information for Monday's briefing for Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra at Government House.