Thai police seize 2M methamphetamine pills
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Thai police on Thursday seized their third multimillion-pill haul of methamphetamine this year, as the government carries out a newly declared war on drugs.
Thailand is a leading market and transit point for methamphetamine, much of which is produced in neighboring Myanmar. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra declared after taking office last year her government would make a drug crackdown a priority.
Police Col. Suthep Chutimapanya said about 2 million pills were found in a pickup truck abandoned by four suspects near a drug checkpoint in Lampang province's Maeprik district.
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One male suspect was captured, but three others escaped even though helicopters were trying to track them.
Police seized more than 4 million tablets two weeks ago at a checkpoint in Chiang Rai province. A house in the Bangkok outskirts that was raided in January held 3.8 million tablets and 156 pounds of crystal meth.
Yingluck's brother Thaksin Shinawatra carried out a similar crackdown on drugs when he was prime minister in 2001-2006, but human rights groups alleged his campaign involved the extrajudicial execution of suspects.
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However, the crackdown was popular in some rural areas and slums where the scourge of methamphetamine had led to soaring addiction and crime.