The new commissioner of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) has vowed to intensify the crackdown on illegal narcotics, expanding checkpoints nationwide and invoking special legal provisions against cross-border trafficking networks.
Since taking office on Oct 1, Pol Lt Gen Phumin Phumphanmuang, the 51-year-old officer known as “Big M”, has pledged a tougher approach to drug suppression, combining intensive enforcement, intelligence-led investigations and community involvement.
He said two suspected drug traffickers had already been shot dead in confrontations with police since his appointment.
A graduate of the 52nd class of the Royal Police Cadet Academy, Pol Lt Gen Phumin has built a reputation for investigative skills, tactical expertise and marksmanship.
He earned the nickname “M5, the powerhouse” while serving as superintendent of Division 5 of the Crime Suppression Division, where he became known for pursuing armed criminals in southern Thailand.
He is the nephew of former national police chief Pol Gen Somyot Poompanmoung.
After serving as a superintendent and confronting numerous armed criminals, Pol Lt Gen Phumin rose to become deputy commander of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division.
He was later appointed commander of the Central Investigation Bureau’s (CIB) Special Operations Division, overseeing the nationwide commando unit, before becoming deputy commissioner of the CIB.
He was later appointed commander attached to the Office of the National Police Chief. After only a year in that position, he was transferred to lead the NSB.
Pol Lt Gen Phumin said the bureau was a crucial agency because tackling narcotics was a national priority for every government.
Before taking up the post, he had analysed drug-related offences across 11 dimensions, covering production sources, imports across border areas, trafficking routes, major dealers, street-level sellers, distribution to users, exports and imports, postal delivery services and social media channels.
“My next step is to introduce interception measures across every part of the system. Tackling only one aspect of the drug problem will not solve it, because there are many contributing factors,” he said.
One key concern was precursor chemicals manufactured in Thailand and exported overseas. Such chemicals might be legal in themselves but become part of an illegal activity when used to manufacture narcotics.
He said investigators must establish how businesses intended to use these chemicals and produce clear investigative reports determining whether they were supplying the drug trade.
Where evidence justified action, authorities could use legal measures, including asset seizure under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, to target production sources.
Along border areas, the NSB would work with security agencies, military units responsible for border protection and the Border Patrol Police.
Pol Lt Gen Phumin said he had met the National Security Centre and military units the previous week to discuss interception measures.
The bureau would also use technology provided by the US Drug Enforcement Administration and the Australian Federal Police.
He said drug trafficking routes, traditionally concentrated in the North, had expanded into the Northeast, where gaps remained in interception measures.
The bureau planned to upgrade its capabilities through technologies such as X-ray scanners and artificial intelligence, allowing officers to detect drug consignments without traffickers realising they had been identified.
The bureau currently operates six permanent checkpoints nationwide.
Traffickers know where they were located, he said, so the bureau would develop plans to make interception operations less predictable and expand its coverage.
Investigators would also pursue the financial networks behind major dealers under the Narcotics Conspiracy Measures Act and the Anti-Money Laundering Act.
Reaching those at the top of the trade required investigative reports establishing the underlying offences, he said. The bureau would reopen channels for receiving information from the public through community policing.
For street-level dealers and drug users, the strategy would focus on building stronger, more sustainable communities through long-term cooperation among community leaders, government agencies and the private sector.
Authorities would identify users and small-scale dealers, organise enforcement operations and remove dealers from affected areas. Drug users would be referred for social rehabilitation measures provided by the Public Health Ministry.
The NSB would also modify the physical environment to deter crime, including by installing CCTV cameras near suspected drug dealers’ homes and setting up police posts staffed by narcotics suppression officers, he said.
The bureau would develop model communities in which residents could participate through continuous two-way communications.
Pol Lt Gen Phumin identified Klong Toey, Bang Bua in Bang Khen district and Phai Khiao in Don Muang district as communities in Bangkok where narcotics remained prevalent.
He singled out Bang Bua as particularly concerning because it was only about two kilometres from the NSB’s headquarters.
“If a drug problem persists this close to the headquarters, how can we call ourselves drug suppressors? This is a key issue,” he said.
Pol Lt Gen Phumin said the drug war would be a prolonged struggle, noting that Thailand was also a transit route for narcotics destined for third countries, including Australia, the Philippines, Japan and South Korea.
Recent intelligence indicated that traffickers were using Cambodian waters to transport drugs to the Philippines.
Pol Lt Gen Phumin said the bureau would invoke international legal provisions, noting that Thai narcotics legislation allowed Thai nationals who committed offences outside the kingdom to be arrested, prosecuted and punished in Thailand.
Although such offences often occurred in foreign waters, he believed Thai nationals were involved and could be prosecuted if operations extended into the exclusive economic zone. Investigations could then lead to asset seizures, the seizure of vessels and arrest warrants for those directing the operations.
Pol Lt Gen Phumin said enforcement would become progressively more intensive, warning that police would not hold back when armed suspects resisted arrest, in line with the national police chief’s orders.
He cautioned criminal suspects against attempting to fight officers, saying police had superior tactical capabilities.
The bureau would also use public communications to explain the penalties imposed on drug traffickers and warn people that involvement in the trade was not worth the consequences.
It would disseminate information about emerging narcotics before they could reach households.