Thai Junta Swoops down On Drug Users in Bangkok

The Thai Junta came down heavily on drug use in Bangkok Tuesday, with urine tests and house-to-house searches for drug users, police said.

The pre-dawn operations reeled in 22 small time drug peddlers and 88 suspected users were sent to drug rehabilitation centers, revealed deputy Bangkok police chief Ittipon Piriyapinyo, reports the AFP.

"We went to targeted places - where there are teenagers gathering, people suspected of taking drugs or small-time drug-sellers," said Ittipon.

People were asked to go voluntarily to rehab otherwise they would face legal action, according to the authorities.

The early morning raids are a part of a long-running campaign against drug use and sending people abusing into rehabilitation.

Thailand is very strict about drug peddling and has severe penalties for carrying or trading, including the death sentence.

The takeover of the government by the army from the civil government in May this year has seen a sustained drive against organized crime.  There has been strong moral policing with casinos and gambling dens being targeted. Many drug lords have been arrested.

Recently Thailand's anti-narcotics personnel hauled in a major cache of drugs from the northern and central provinces and Bangkok and arrested drug traffickers, reports the Pattaya Mail.

The anti-narcotics authorities arrested 13 drug traffickers and impounded assets worth more than Bt200 million or $621,4000.

The takeover by the military junta has also seen an exodus of Cambodian laborers on threat of arrest of people with no official documents. A promise to make the process of obtaining legal permits simpler saw some of the laborers returning, reports AFP.