The Thai crystal meth market now has a new addition: cheap Iranian-made meth aimed at low-income buyers. A recent surge in Iranian and West African traffickers have reportedly moved in on the usual ice dealers, the Red Wa gangs originating from Burma. The Iranian ice fetches roughly THB800,000 a kilo, whereas the Burmese goes for a hefty THB2 million for the same amount.
What does the introduction of low-grade ice from the Middle East mean for Bangkok’s crack fiends and crime fighters?
“There are very real fears the cheap drugs from Iranian gangs will be sold to customers in the lower-end market” said Mr. Narong Rattananukul, secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, according to The Bangkok Post.
New marketing schemes to draw in low-end customers include lowering the amount of pseudoephedrine in the drugs and selling the ice in lower-quantity increments to appeal to buyers with less disposable income.
Narong also said drug producers in Bangkok and neighboring provinces are turning homes into “kitchen labs”, where they churn out high quantities of methamphetamines for local dealers.
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