Suspected Laotian drug kingpin Xayasana Keopimpha was arrested Thursday at Suvarnabhumi Airport after getting off of a flight from Phuket.
The man is allegedly the boss of an Asian drug network and has been wanted for more than five years. Yesterday, the 41-year-old appeared in a Bangkok court and given a 12-day detention sentence while the country builds their case against him. Officers objected to bail since the suspect is considered a flight risk. Police are currently searching for the other five accomplices to his drug crimes. The police have warrants for all of the suspects, four Thais and one Lao.
Keopimpha was taken into custody at the airport before dozens of stunned travelers. He is facing charges of drug trafficking. The police have scheduled interviews with seven witnesses, reported The Nation.
The police allege that Keopimpha and his associates smuggled drugs that were produced in Shan State in Myanmar through Laos and into Thailand through Nong Khai province, and that their network also allowed the drugs, in the form of yaba tablets, to be distributed to Singapore and Malaysia.
The police have begun seizing Keopimpha’s assets, all thought to be ill-gotten via the drug trade.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Sommai Kongwisaisook, commander of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, vowed on Friday, “We will make this drug network poorer than beggars.”
Keopimpha’s assets included hotels, sawmills and luxury car dealerships in Laos revealed the police, showcasing just how large and powerful the alleged drug gang may have been.
The police have already seized over THB100 million is assets from Keopimpha. They include: two homes, 14 plots of land, 14 luxury vehicles, 11 motor bikes, 29 bank books, gold and cash, reported Bangkok Post.
