Bigger fines proposed for drug traffickers
Bigger fines proposed for drug traffickers
BANGKOK: — The Justice Ministry plans a 10 fold increase in fines for people charged with conspiring to traffic drugs – from Bt50,000 to Bt500,000.
And people found guilty of obstructing police investigations could face double punishment, of up to a year in jail and a fine of Bt20,000.
A source at Government House revealed yesterday that a Justice Ministry proposal to amend the Measures for the Suppression of Narcotics’ Offenders Act 1991 would be put to Cabinet next Tuesday.
The ministry claims that some measures have not been effective in suppressing drug gangs or seizing their assets. Thus they have proposed the punishment for conspiracy to traffic drugs be up to five years in prison or a fine of up to Bt500,000, because such crimes affected the economy.
For people who failed to testify or give documentary evidence, or obstructed police inquiries, the top punishment would be a one year jail term and a Bt20,000 fine, compared to the current six month jail term and Bt10,000 fine.
The amendments also stipulate that officials are allowed to search a property, a person or a vehicle suspected of involvement in drug trafficking and that they can seize assets before or after the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) committee or ONCB secretary general issues an order to investigate. That would help prevent assets from being moved, destroyed or hidden.
The current law requires ONCB committee or ONCB secretary general to order searches and the seizure of assets.
The period of time in which a request for court approval would need to be filed for drug related assets, to be given to the drug suppression fund, would be changed to one year.
Currently, such a request can be made any time before a ruling by the primary court on a case, or within one year, if there are good reasons for such a delay.
The ministry also wants public prosecutors to be able to file a request to the court to investigate assets related to crimes in cases in which drug suspects die or flee and to order that such assets belong to the fund within two years.
They also wanted the law to allow investigators, who deem certain assets inappropriate to the fund or a burden for the civil service to keep, can ask public prosecutors to request a court order to sell the assets, so the fund obtains money for the assets sold, or that the items can be used by the civil service. The amendments also stipulate that the minister, not Cabinet, should be able to receive reports of the fund’s balance sheets and expenses.
