KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian drug kingpin detained in Laos will face prosecution in Thailand for drug trafficking, said Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay. The suspect, a Malaysian fugitive wanted in Thailand for drug smuggling, was arrested during a Thai-Laos joint operation last week.
According to Ayob Khan, the suspect is from Perak and is married to a Thai woman. He mentioned that Bukit Aman would not arrange to bring the suspect back to Malaysia. “We will leave it fully to Thai authorities. So far, we have no plans to bring back the suspect. Let him face prosecution in Thailand,” he told a press conference at Bukit Aman on Monday (Jan 8).
Ayob Khan emphasized that any Malaysian who commits crimes overseas should face action by the law enforcement agencies of the respective countries. Thai police, including Assistant National Police Chief Pol Lt Gen Panurat Lakboon, revealed that the 39-year-old Malaysian is an alleged drug dealer and key member of a drug syndicate who had been in hiding in Laos.
Pol Lt Gen Panurat Lakboon said the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) had been investigating the Malaysian man, a suspected drug trafficker who played a key role as procurer and coordinator in the drug trade in the Golden Triangle area since 2006. He stated that the man was arrested in Laos on Dec 29 and has been working with drug networks across Thailand, Malaysia, China, Singapore, and Laos.
He also used Thailand for both money laundering and as a transit point for smuggling drugs, including to countries like Malaysia, Taiwan, and Australia. “The arrest is a result of the continuous investigation and close coordination between the Thai, Malaysian, and Laotian enforcement agencies,” he said in a statement.
