Thai authorities find 620 sacks of cannabis hidden in durian and coconut orchards
Authorities believe the owners of the dried cannabis left it behind in anticipation of tougher new rules that Thailand's Ministry of Public Health implemented on June 26. -- PHOTO: THE NATION/ ASIAN NEWS NETWORK
BANGKOK (The Nation Thailand/ANN): Thai rangers have discovered a significant cache of dried cannabis, amounting to 620 sacks and bundles, hidden within durian and coconut orchards in Bueng Kan province.
Authorities believe the drug's owners left it behind in anticipation of tougher new rules that Thailand's Ministry of Public Health implemented on June 26.
Lieutenant Kowit Wongsaeng, Commander of the 2108th Ranger Company of the 21st Ranger Task Force, was alerted by an anonymous tip-off about cannabis-like materials in a durian orchard in Ban Tha Si Khai, Bueng Khong Long District.
Leading a joint operation with local officials, police, and community leaders, the team conducted an extensive search.
At the first location, an orchard north of Ban Tha Si Khai, officers found 85 jute sacks of dried cannabis scattered across the area. Each sack contained dried cannabis inflorescences.
A subsequent search led them to a second site, a coconut orchard to the south, where they uncovered a further 510 sacks of dried cannabis, wrapped in plastic, alongside 25 bundles of dried cannabis stems.
No one was found at either location who could be questioned about the ownership of the haul.
The combined seizure of 620 sacks and bundles has been handed over to Lao Luang Police Station for legal proceedings and to trace the origin of the dried cannabis.
District Chief of Bueng Khong Long Tawee Chinnarong said that the cannabis was likely discarded by its owners following the Public Health Ministry's latest announcement.
The new rules, effective from June 26, specifically control 'cannabis inflorescences', restricting them to medical use only and requiring a licence for sale and a medical certificate for purchase.
He suggested that the individuals in possession of the cannabis likely feared legal repercussions under these new directives. THE NATION/ ASIAN NEWS NETWORK
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