Almost 500 kg of crystal meth seized

13 Sept 12:20 Key points summarised by AI

Customs officers at Bangkok’s Klong Toey port seized 193.5 kg of crystal methamphetamine, valued at 116 million baht, concealed within boxing punch bags bound for Australia.
The Bangkok seizure was prompted by officers' suspicion regarding the unusual export of punch bags to Australia, leading to the discovery of approximately 12 kg of the drug in each bag.
Separately, police in Ubon Ratchathani province confiscated 299 kg of crystal meth from a pickup truck, which was abandoned by its occupants after being signalled to stop at a roadblock.
The Ubon Ratchathani seizure followed a tip-off about a large amount of illicit drugs being smuggled across the border from Laos.
The combined operations resulted in the seizure of almost 500 kg of crystal methamphetamine in total.

Suchada: Meet the reluctant star of Thailand’s cryptic crypto drama

Today 15:38 Key points summarised by AI

Thai MP Suchada Zhang Thaensap faces intense scrutiny over her husband’s substantial 1.84 billion baht wealth, with opposition lawmakers alleging connections to international scam networks.
A significant portion of her husband, Taiyang Zhang's, declared assets includes a 1.44 billion baht loan to the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency hedge fund Three Arrows Capital, which still owes him 1.34 billion baht.
Opposition MP Rangsiman Rome accused Suchada's husband of links to online scam networks and gambling sites, prompting Suchada to vehemently deny the claims, demand evidence, and file a defamation complaint.
Taiyang Zhang's background includes co-founding Ren Protocol, later sold to Alameda Research (linked to the FTX collapse), and some of his former associates have been convicted in crypto company failures.
Suchada, a former actress and first-time MP, maintains her husband's innocence, while her party leaders have distanced themselves from the allegations, deeming it a private matter.