A Thai senator linked to a Myanmar tycoon is indicted for drug trafficking and money laundering

BANGKOK (AP) — Prosecutors in Thailand have indicted a member of the country’s Senate on six charges involving narcotics trafficking, money laundering and association with a transnational criminal organization. Senator Upakit Pachariyangkun denied all the charges when he appeared Thursday at Criminal Court in Bangkok, and was granted release on bail. Upakit’s case is linked to that of an influential businessman from neighboring Myanmar. The businessman, Tun Min Latt, and three Thai associates were arrested in Thailand in September last year. All are alleged to have laundered profits from the sale of illegal drugs through a power company that Tun Min Latt and Upakit controlled.