It is learnt the man was waiting to receive the consignments totalling 858,000 Yaba pills (a type of methamphetamine) when southern Thai authorities seized one of the drug consignments on Jan 16 in Pattani and the other in Songkla five days later.

A highly-placed source in the country’s Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) told Bernama the two seizures were inter-related as the buyer for both drug consignments was a Malaysian.

“The buyer has been identified as a Malaysian man. We obtained this information after police conducted further investigations into the matter.

“We believe these two cases (Pattani and Songkla drug seizures) were masterminded by the same syndicate with international links.

“The information which pointed to a Malaysian man as the mastermind behind the two drug seizures in southern Thailand recently has been relayed to the Malaysian police for further action,” he told Bernama in an interview here recently.

The first seizure was carried out in Nongchik district, Pattani province, on Jan 16 when authorities intercepted a pick-up truck and discovered 210,000 Yaba pills hidden inside the vehicle. Yaba in Thai means “Mad Drug”.

On Jan 21, the source said, NSB officers intercepted a trailer lorry in Rattaphumi district, Songkla province, and found 648,000 Yaba pills.

Based on the current street value of 300 baht (RM38) per methamphetamine pill, the source estimated the seizure of 858,000 pills of Yaba and Speed-type in the two cases could be worth up to 255 million baht or about RM33 million.

“The value of the methamphetamine pills seized (in Pattani and Songkla) could be double or triple the price if it reaches Malaysia, because the price there (Malaysia) is higher.

“The street price of the drugs could balloon if it is sold in Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Europe or other countries, thus promising a hefty profit for foreign-based drug syndicates,” noted the source.