BANGKOK, Sept 18 (TNA) – Thailand’s Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) has arrested a Singaporean national wanted for drug trafficking who had been living luxuriously in Thailand while evading arrest warrants.
ONCB Secretary-General Phanurat Lakboon announced the arrest of Benny Kee Soon Chuan, a suspected key figure in transnational drug trafficking. Kee is accused of using Thailand as a transit point for smuggling drugs to Singapore and Australia. Primarily, the drugs involved were crystal meth (ice), ketamine, and ecstasy.
The arrest came after a tip-off from Singapore’s Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB). Kee, who had been living in Samut Prakan province, was found with assets worth over 15 million baht (about $440,000).
Authorities said Kee entered Thailand using a Vanuatu passport. He will be deported to Singapore, where he faces potential capital punishment for drug trafficking offenses.
The investigation linked Kee to two other cases involving Singaporean nationals arrested in 2021 for attempting to ship drugs to Singapore and Australia.
ONCB officials emphasized that while Thailand is not a drug production hub, it is being used as a transit point by transnational drug networks. These networks typically source drugs from border areas in northern Thailand, with major drug traffickers often hiding in China and Laos. -819 (TNA)
