BANGKOK (Bernama): Volunteer ambulances and rescue vehicles are being used by drug traffickers in their latest modus operandi to smuggle drugs across the border into Thailand. Thailand’s Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONBC) chief, Niyom Termsrisuk said the culprits used various official logos on volunteer ambulances and rescue vehicles to deceive security officials at border checkpoints. "We have arrested 21 suspects in seven cases of using medical service vehicles to smuggle drugs since November 2016 to September this year. Citing one case, Niyom said northern province police in September arrested two suspects who drove a volunteer rescue vehicle to transport 692,000 Yaba pills from the border province to Chiang Mai. Niyom said the drug syndicates’ ploy of using volunteer ambulances and rescue vehicles had affected medical emergency services as in some cases, the latter were stopped by authorities for inspection.

Source: The Star October 13, 2019 13:41 UTC