Oudomxay Police Seize 1 million Amphetamine Pills

Source: Vientiane Times

Oudomxay provincial police last week arrested a couple after stopping their vehicle and discovering more than 1 million amphetamine pills and 48 bags of drug precursor chemicals weighing 1,200kg.

A police officer in charge of drug control and supervision in Oudomxay province said the couple were detained on May 26 and were named as Mr Somlilao, 39, from Pasak village in Xay district, and his wife Ms Kai, 32.

Police searched the couple’s SUV and pick-up truck and found 549 packages of amphetamine containing 1,098,000 tablets weighing 130.5kg and 48 bags of white powder weighing 1,200kg used in the manufacture of drugs. Police confiscated the two vehicles, a gun and other items belonging to the couple.

The drugs haul is the largest in Oudomxay province this year and police are making enquiries in the hope of pursuing leads in the case.

The drug problem is growing in urban and rural areas of Laos, with some youngsters becoming habitual users, leading to social ills and crimes such as robbery and murder.

Laos’ drug problem is an obstacle to development and is hard to suppress. The north of the country falls within the notorious Golden Triangle region and is a corridor for the illegal transit of narcotics.

The Prime Minister’s Office recently asked the Ministry of Public Security to include tougher penalties in the drug suppression agenda.

Laos has classified the prevention and control of narcotic drugs as a ‘national agenda’ a status that requires decisive action and the involvement of various sectors to step up the battle against the threat posed by narcotics. The Ministry of Public Security is finalising a draft of the national agenda on drug prevention and control before submitting it to higher authorities.

The Prime Minister’s Office’s demand for harsher penalties against offending state officers is in line with guidance issued at a meeting of the Politburo the Party’s top political body and the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat.

The final draft of the national agenda on drug prevention and control will be submitted to the upcoming extraordinary plenary session of the 11th tenure Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party. After discussions to reach consensus, the draft will be forwarded to the upcoming 2nd ordinary session of the National Assembly for debate and approval before the state president promulgates it.