Police displayed a staggering two tonnes of drugs seized from crime gangs across Thailand.

Officers from the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) showed off the haul of contraband at a press conference discussing seven drug cases at the NSB headquarters in Bangkok on March 21.

Authorities said they confiscated 15.5 million meth tablets, 880 kilos of ice meth, 450 kilos of ketamine, nine cars, and 11 phones - all worth a total of more than 24 million baht (around 700,000 USD). Twenty people in the alleged drug network were also detained.

The first case involved four ethnic Hmong suspects, Ekkayut, Thananun, Thananath, and Nattapol, who were arrested in Tak province for reportedly hiding drugs under vegetables in pickup trucks.

They were said to be transporting the illegal substances to a customer in central Thailand. Police seized from them 600 kilos of ice meth, 12 million meth tablets, 400 kilos of ketamine, six phones, four pickup trucks, and 50,000 baht.

Meanwhile, four suspects were arrested in the second case in Pathum Thani province, where police seized three two-storey detached houses and a 23-million-baht plot of land.

In the third case, eight sacks of methamphetamine and two pickup trucks were impounded at a cassava plantation in Udon Thani province. Police were still searching for the escaped suspects.

Six alleged drug smugglers - identified by authorities as Preecha, Nattapong, Anucha, Manadya, Arun, and Kannika - were caught in the fourth case in Pathum Thani province, with 46 kilos of methamphetamine destined for customers in the same province confiscated.

For the fifth case, three teenage girls reportedly tried to deliver drugs from northern to southern Thailand. They boarded a bus from Bangkok to Narathiwat and Yala provinces close to the border with Malaysia while carrying the drugs in their bags. The cops intercepted the young women at the Bangkok Bus Terminal, and found 300,000 meth pills in six bags during a search.

Authorities also seized 281 kilos of ice meth from two suspected smugglers Keng and Nikorn in a sixth case in Chiang Mai province. The pair fled and abandoned their vehicle but were later arrested at a checkpoint.

In the seventh case, Sakareeya, 43, was arrested at a Pattaya checkpoint for hiding sacks containing 1.436 million meth tablets under a mattress on his pick-up truck.

Police General Chinnaphat Sarasin, deputy commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, said that all cases will be further investigated and that they will collaborate with neighbouring countries for the extradition of some suspects.

The policeman said the total haul exceeded two tonnes in weight.

He added: 'The government has suspended the import of many drug precursors, including those destined for other countries. In coordination with the Customs Department, the police have searched and seized several containers for inspection.'

Police General Chinnaphat said that the officers are coordinating with neighbouring countries to prevent Thailand from becoming a gateway for drug networks.

Thailand has become a notorious hub for drug production and trafficking.

In the north of the country, the ‘Golden Triangle' area shares borders with Laos and Myanmar, and has produced large amounts of opium since the 1950s but focus in recent years has shifted to the more profitable methamphetamine.

Officials believe most of the meth is produced in the Shan State of Myanmar before being distributed through neighbouring countries where prices are higher before ending up in the most expensive markets of Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore.