Police allege the group obtained the drugs from a foreign country and planned to take them on to the South and into Malaysia.

Pol Maj-General Charn Wimolsri, acting commander of CSD, said Suchat was suspended from duty from the day following his arrest.

Pol Lt-General Rewat Klinkesorn, commissioner of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, said Suchat, 44, Supakit Ladawan, 25, Orapan Jintapan, 27, and Saranya Phewnim-nuan, 26, were nabbed at a Rangsit shopping mall’s parking lot in Pathum Thani province on Tuesday afternoon.

Rewat said Suchat confessed to transporting the illicit drugs after collecting them from the three others who had smuggled the consignment in via Nong Khai. He said his job was to take the drugs to Narathiwat’s Sungai Kolok district and cross the border into Malaysia in exchange for Bt100,000 per trip. Police allege Suchat confessed to having done this twice before.

The arrests followed a request by Suchat’s supervisor, CSD Subdivision 5 commander Pol Colonel Phumin Phumphanmuang, to check on and follow Suchat on suspicion of drug dealing. Phumin said he had noticed since April frivolous spending by Suchat and frequent requests for days off, claiming to have operations outside the jurisdiction despite the fact no orders had been issued.