'Dragon lady', high-ranking police official husband unmasked in drug cartel

BANGKOK: A woman dubbed the 'dragon lady' in the underworld, who allegedly masterminded multi-million dollar drug rings across several countries in the region over the past five years has been unmasked by the Thai police.
The 31-year-old suspect, according to anti-drug investigators, was assisted by her husband who holds the rank of Police Lieutenant-Colonel, in operating the drug cartel.
The police suspect the syndicate had once received the 'blessings' of notorious Lao drug kingpin, Xaysana Keopimpha and a local drug lord.
The couple was arrested during a number of coordinated raids launched by the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) nationwide, beginning Jan 12, according to NSB head, Lt Gen Sommai Kongvisaisuk.
"We suspect the syndicate headed by the couple was previously linked to Lao drug kingpin, Xaysana Keopimpha and local drug lord, Usman Salaemeng," he told the media during a media conference which was also attended by National Police Chief Gen Chakthip Chaijinda at the NSB headquarters, here today.
Xaysana, dubbed 'Asean's Drug Lord' by Thai authorities was nabbed in Suvarnabhumi Airport last year and is now awaiting trial.
Usman, from Narathiwat has been on the run for the past 10 years and is believed to have gone into hiding in a neighbouring country.
According to Sommai, raids against the woman and her husband were part of extended investigations by the NSB into the seizure of 520kg marijuana in Hatyai, southern Thailand on Dec 21 last year.
Based on police investigations, the woman, he said, was believed to have been associated with money transaction activities linked to the lucrative drug trade.
Meanwhile, the authorities are expected to charge her policeman husband with drug conspiracy and money laundering.
Sommai said police intelligence revealed that the syndicate headed by the couple was mainly involved in the sourcing of methamphetamine-type drugs such as 'ice' (crystal methamphetamine) and marijuana from the Golden Triangle to southern Thailand, before the drugs made their way to be marketed in other countries.
His deputy, Maj Gen Thanai Aphichartsenee said the syndicate had been in operation for between four and five years with the drugs under their total control.
The drugs were usually smuggled across the border to a third country after reaching the southern border town of Hatyai.
Besides the couple, the police said seven other individuals were also arrested in the raids which saw the seizure of 21 firearms, several vehicles, land titles, condominiums, houses, cash and jewellery estimated about 188 million baht (RM22 million).
The police also seized various types of drugs, including 3.34 million methamphetamine tablets, two kilogrammes of 'ice', 12kg marijuana and small amounts of heroin worth about 722.8 million baht. — Bernama