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.