Thailand's woman "philanthropist" nabbed as drug trafficking suspect

Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-09 00:19:11|Editor: yan
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BANGKOK, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- A woman, known as a "philanthropist," who had organized an anti-drug campaign and charity activity in Chiang Mai, Thailand, has been arrested on drug trafficking charges.

The 34-year-old female suspect, identified as Kalyakorn Siriphatarasomboon, was arrested on Friday in Phrae province in northern Thailand with 1.6 million tablets of methamphetamine and 10 kilograms of crystal meth aboard a pickup truck which she was driving, said Thanarat Chumsawat, chief of the Phrae police.

The suspect told the police that she had smuggled the drugs, produced by Wa rebel group in Shan state, across the Thai-Myanmar border from Chiang Mai without any accomplices.

Apart from the drugs, the police seized an estimated 27 million baht (about 818,000 U.S. dollars) in wealth, including real estate units in Chiang Mai, for which Kalyakorn had allegedly laundered the money from her drug dealings, according to Thanarat.

Better known by her nickname as Jay Lin, the suspected drug trafficker had launched the anti-drug campaign among local teenagers, especially youth soccer players, and granted money to needy people in Chiang Mai, but the police suspected such charity events were merely a cover-up for her drug trade.

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