Thursday’s (Aug 21) crackdown followed reports on social media that some women who had used abortion pills purchased online subsequently suffered severe bleeding and had been rushed to hospital.
CPPD officers gathered information and evidence about the selling of abortion drugs and obtained arrest warrants from the Criminal Court for the seven individuals linked to the illegal sales, police said.
Searches were carried out at three locations - one in Lamphun’s Pa Sang district and two in San Sai district and Muang district in Chiang Mai, reports the Bangkok Post.
Some 3,138 items were seized, including hundreds of abortion pills, other drugs and pregnancy test kits valued at over B1 million, police said. According to the CPPD, the suspects advertised these drugs on social media under the guise of selling menstrual regulation medicine. Some online posts claimed that doctors were available for consultation to increase their credibility.
The suspects also used proxy bank accounts and kept the drugs stocked up at logistics warehouses to avoid being caught. The investigation is being expanded to track other illegal supplies, said the CPPD.