U.S. seeks freezing of Thai politician's assets

U.S. seeks freezing of Thai politician's assets

BANGKOK (Reuter): The United States has asked Thailand to freeze the assets of a Thai politician for alleged involvement in a multi-million-dollar marijuana smuggling operation, a Thai anti-narcotics official said yesterday.

Thai authorities were considering the evidence presented by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) against opposition Member of Parliament Thanong Siripreechapong, said the official, who asked not to be identified.

Thanong's assets in the United States have already been seized. "We can confirm that this individual's assets in California were seized ... in January, 1993," a U.S. Embassy official told Reuters.

A Los Angeles house and a Mercedes-Benz car belonging to Thanong were seized on the order of a U.S. government prosecutor in San Francisco, according to a briefing paper issued by the embassy.

A U.S. Court ruled that the house and car had been obtained with profits earned from drug smuggling, the paper said.

The prosecutor's affidavit alleged that Thanong was paid millions of dollars for tons of marijuana he smuggled, or arranged to be smuggled, into the United States between 1977 and 1987.

Among the incidents listed in the affidavit were the mid-1986 supplying by Thanong to American drug runners of 18 tons of marijuana that was subsequently smuggled into the United States, the paper said.

In another incident he was paid US$7 million in cash for two shipments of the drug successfully smuggled into the United States in 1987, the paper said.

The U.S. allegations against Thanong were first made three years ago. The Thai official said the DEA had identified at least two other Thais, one a politician and the other a policeman, as suspects in the case.

"It is not easy to catch these suspects because they never carry drugs themselves," the official said.

Thanong was not available for comment yesterday.

Veteran politician Narong Wongwan was forced to withdraw as a prime ministerial nominee in April, 1992, when the United States confirmed it had refused him a visa because of suspicion he was involved in the drugs trade.