More than two metric tons of crystal methamphetamine have been seized from a tourist boat in eastern Thailand.
Local authorities announced nearly 2.4 metric tons (2.6 tons) on Monday after they thwarted an attempt to smuggle the illicit drugs out of the country.
Eight men were arrested on Saturday in Rayong province in connection with the operation.
Officials stated the group was allegedly attempting to transport the narcotics through Thailand's southern border.
The Department of Special Investigation estimates the seized drugs to be worth over 3 billion baht ($90.8 million) if sold abroad.
The methamphetamine was discovered meticulously packed in plastic bags, each weighing approximately one kilogram, and disguised as corn flour packages.
In addition to the drugs and arrests, authorities also confiscated a van and a truck believed to have been used in the smuggling attempt.
Officials have not yet elaborated on the intended destination of the drugs or their origin.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra thanked officials for their efforts and told a press conference that “the government is serious about our policies on drugs."
United Nations experts have said neighboring Myanmar is the source of most of the region’s methamphetamine and heroin.
A report from the U.N. drug agency last month said the illicit trade in methamphetamine and other dangerous drugs is growing quickly in Southeast Asia, with a record level of seizures in 2024 — 236 tons — a 24 per cent increase over 2023.
The “Golden Triangle,” where the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet, is famous for the production of opium and heroin, which flourished largely because of the remote location and lax law enforcement. In recent decades, methamphetamine has supplanted opium and heroin because it is easier to make on an industrial scale.
