FAKE volunteer ambulances and rescue vehicles are being used by syndicates to smuggle drugs into Thailand.

Office of the Narcotics Control Board chief Niyom Termsrisuk said these traffickers use vehicles with official logos to deceive the authorities at border checkpoints.

“We have arrested 21 suspects in seven cases where medical services vehicles were used to smuggle drugs between November 2016 and September this year.

“We seized 1.351 million yaba pills, 600kg of ‘ice’ and 80kg of ketamine,” he told a press conference in Bangkok.

He said last month, police in Thailand’s northern province arrested two suspects who were using a rescue vehicle to transport 692,000 yaba pills to Chiang Mai.

“The drugs are believed to be for distribution in Bangkok and nearby markets.”

He said the traffickers’ modus operandi has negatively impacted emergency services, with the authorities stopping genuine ambulances and rescue vehicles to conduct checks. – Bernama, October 13, 2019.