Major drug bust

BANGKOK (AP):

Thai police on Tuesday night seized 147 kilograms (323 pounds) of heroin they believe was destined for Australia. They claim the estimated street value of the drugs is about 3 billion baht (US$96 million).

According to Thai Deputy Police Chief, Major General Somyot Pumpanmuang, two men, a Thai and a Malaysian, have been arrested on trafficking charges when police seized the heroin in the Andaman Sea port city of Ranong.

He said the Tuesday night seizure came after Australian police tipped off their Thai counterparts about the haul. The drugs were wrapped in 420 packets that were to be hidden in frozen seafood containers.

Somyot said police believed the heroin originated in Myanmar and had been smuggled across Thailand's northern border.