Narcotics Control Board secretary general Sirinya Sitthichai confirmed a link had been established between the network of Bulan Tareeseub and Xaysana.

“They have had some connections,” Sirinya said. Last month, police nabbed Xaysana at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Bulan, meanwhile, was arrested alongside Jitpanu Saeheng at a safe house in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district on Thursday on drug-related charges. Cash and jewellery were found in their possession.

Bulan’s assets worth more than Bt68 million have already been confiscated pending the investigation.

According to authorities, Bulan is married to Mamarussan Darormae – who was arrested in Malaysia in 2014 on drug offences.

“Following the arrest of her husband, she has allegedly continued the drug trade,” Sirinya said.

Sirinya said that major drug suspect Kamarudin bin Awang, who is known in Thailand as Zainudeng Ma and was nabbed in Malaysia earlier this week, was a part of Xaysana’s alleged network.

Narcotics Suppression Bureau’s spokesman Pol Maj-General Sunthorn Chalermkiat, meanwhile, said his agency was now taking over the investigation into a recent big haul of illicit drugs in Bangkok’s Nong Chok district to assess its possible link to Xaysana.

“Local police have forwarded the investigation on the drug seizure to us to facilitate the expanding probe into Xaysana’s alleged drug network in Thailand,” Sunthorn said yesterday.

On Thursday night, police found 2.67 million methamphetamine tablets, 7 kilos of crystal meth-amphetamine, 5 kilos of ketamine, and 34,000 ecstasy pills at a house in Nong Chok. Arrested at the house was Anon Laokasem, 24.

According to police, Anon has confessed that he was paid to stock and deliver the illicit drugs. He has received Bt700,000 after he completed the deliveries of the first lot of drugs during the past two months.

Police are now expanding their investigation into Xaysana’s alleged drug network. Xaysana, who had long portrayed himself as a rich and well-connected man from Laos, is believed to have had extensive connections on Thai soil.

Earlier this month, famous motorcycle racer Akarakit “Benz Racing” Worarohcharoendet became the first Thai celebrity to have surfaced in the Xaysana’s scandal.

One of Xaysana’s alleged accomplices, Nattapon Nakkam, said he had used Akarakit’s name in buying a Lamborghini and a big bike.

The two vehicles have now been seized pending further investigation alongside 10 other items of assets linked to Nattapon.

After publicly mentioning the questionable Lamborghini early this month, the NSB has received several reports of suspicious super cars from people.

“Thank you for sending information to us. We are in the process of verifying the report,” Sunthorn said.

He added that the NSB was now checking into the reports that a man in Pathum Thani’s Lam Luk Ka district had surprisingly owned more than 40 luxury cars.

“We will check if he has engaged in illicit drug trade,” Sunthorn said.