Winnie the Pooh ecstasy seized on Thai side of Mekong River

Thousands of ecstasy pills shaped like teddy bears were seized at the  Mekong River, according to police in the northeast of Thailand.

Nakhon Phanom police said two black suitcases containing about 18,800 yellow-colored ecstasy pills – shaped like Winnie the Pooh – were found Saturday night on the river’s bank l.

Along with the ecstasy, police also seized more than 54,000 sleeping pills, making for a bust with an estimated street value of roughly THB20 million, according to Capt. Narudol Utsikhan of the quick-reaction force. 

Police said the drugs were smuggled to the Thai side of the river via a long-tailed boat, which fled after the delivery. The drugs were believed to originate from Europe.

Drugs are often stamped  cartoon characters. In 2019, a woman in Pathum Thani province was arrested with about 28,000 cartoon-character ecstasy pills. 

Molly remains a popular party drug sold for THB800 to THB1,000 per tablet. Niyom Termsrisook, deputy secretary of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, said the drugs are usually produced in European countries such as the Netherlands and France before being smuggled into Thailand via countries like Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.