Thai rangers, responding to an anonymous tip-off, discovered 620 bags and bundles of dried cannabis in durian and coconut orchards within Bueng Kan province, Thailand. Lieutenant Kowit Wongsaeng, Commander of the 2108th Ranger Company, led a coordinated operation involving local officials and law enforcement agents to inspect the area.
The initial search in a durian orchard north of Ban Tha Si Khai unveiled 85 jute sacks filled with dried cannabis inflorescences. Further investigation directed the team to a coconut orchard in the south, revealing an additional 510 sacks wrapped in plastic and 25 bundles comprising cannabis stems.
The Bueng Kan cannabis confiscation has been transferred to the Lao Luang Police Station for processing and to determine its source. The regional administration, led by Bueng Khong Long District Chief Tawee Chinnarong, suggested the cannabis was left behind due to the new rules by Thailand's Ministry of Public Health, effective June 26, which impose strict controls on cannabis inflorescences for medical purposes only. The current protocols necessitate a licence for selling and a medical certificate for acquiring these inflorescences.
The underlying motive appears to involve evasion of legal consequences following these legislative updates.
No individuals were apprehended at the sites to provide information regarding the ownership of the confiscated cannabis.
Source: The Straits Times
