Kratom-leaf Road: Two Nakhon Si Thammarat men were arrested in Phuket early on Monday and charged with smuggling 250 kilograms of kratom leaves, a mild narcotic.
The kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) was found in bags in the back of a pickup truck that was stopped at a police-Navy checkpoint in Moo 5 village, Thalang district, at 2.20am.
Police said driver Prachuap Rinrat, 40, confessed he’d been hired by a man he knew only as Bao to take the drug to someone called Ket in Thalang.
Prachuap said he was paid Bt5,000 and gave Bt1,000 of it to Yamin Tohdoei, 25, to accompany him on the trip.
With Prachuap and Yamin in custody, the hunt is on for Bao and Ket.
