No Less Than 230,000 Drug Arrests  in Thailand by Phairath Khampha 24 December 2002 In what clearly demonstrates is a burgeoning problem in Thai society, police seized almost 25 million methamphetamine tablets and arrested more than 230,000 drug suspects in 2002. Spokesman Pol Maj-Gen Pongsaphat Pongcharoen said police from all units nationwide had arrested 550,224 people in 2002, of which almost half--231,052--were caught on drug-related charges. A total of 24,992,420 speed pills were seized from them. The number of murder cases had reduced in 2002, down 15.48%--669 cases--on the previous year. Police arrested 17,038 people in 16,689 cases regarding the illegal possession of firearms. Pol Maj-Gen Pongsaphat said national police chief Gen Sant Sarutanond had instructed all units to severely crack down on suspects and to search particular areas for drug trading at least once a week.