CHIANG RAI – Chiang Rai police stopped three large shipments of drugs coming across the border Mae Sai – Tachileik border on Tuesday, seizing thousands of meth pills, bags of crystal meth, and ketamine destined for central Thailand.
In the first incident, border police in Mae Sai, arrested a 49-year-old man and seized a large cache of crystal meth and ketamine hidden inside the roof of a black Chevrolet SUV.
On the afternoon of 20 May, the Border Patrol Police in Chiang Rai acted on a tip-off about a drug run from Myanmar into Thailand. Officers learned drugs would be moved through the permanent Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge at Mae Sai, which connects to Tachileik in Myanmar’s Shan State.
They set up surveillance at the border checkpoint, ready to stop any suspicious vehicles crossing the Sai River.
Soon after, police spotted a black Chevrolet SUV with Chiang Rai plates crossing over from Tachileik, mixed in with other vehicles and travellers. Officers waited for the SUV to clear border checks and head toward the Muang Daeng intersection in Mae Sai.
When it reached the area, they moved in and stopped the car.
The driver, identified as Mr Boonpan, 49, from Wiang Phang Kham, Mae Sai, was travelling alone. Police took the SUV to their base for a closer look. During the inspection, they found the car’s roof had been cut open and fitted with a hidden compartment.
Inside, they discovered 100 bags of drugs—60 gold-coloured bags filled with ice (methamphetamine), each weighing one kilogram, and 40 green bags containing ketamine, also at one kilogram each. The total drug haul weighed 100 kilograms.
In a second incident, soldiers and local authorities in Chiang Rai joined forces to stop a major drug smuggling operation along the border. They seized 1.6 million methamphetamine pills.
Working with the second checkpoint unit and a patrol team, along with the 31st Ranger Battalion, they set up along Highway 1149, which runs along the Thai-Myanmar border from Mae Sai to Mae Fa Luang in Chiang Rai.
During the operation, they spotted a suspicious pickup truck travelling on this road through Mae Fa Luang district, heading towards Phahonyothin Road in Mae Rai, Mae Chan district. When officers tried to stop the vehicle, the driver sped away, which raised further suspicion. The team gave chase.
They tracked the pickup as it turned onto Phahonyothin Road and headed south, before making a U-turn and escaping down a side street next to Ban San Kong School in Mae Rai. Officers followed and found the suspect vehicle, an Isuzu pickup, parked nearby. Another car, a bronze Honda Civic with no number plate, was also found close by, but neither vehicle had anyone inside.
A search of the pickup revealed large sacks on the seats, each sack held about 200,000 methamphetamine pills, totalling 600,000 pills as evidence. Officers seized the drugs and have started further investigations to track down those responsible.
In a third incident, soldiers from the same task force, along with the 35th Narcotics Suppression Unit, patrolled the Thai-Myanmar border near Ban Lise in Mae Fa Luang, Chiang Rai.
The night before, troops from Company 2 were on patrol in the hilly border area when they spotted a group of 5-10 people carrying rucksacks through the forest, crossing into Thailand from the neighbouring country.
When the officers approached, the group panicked and opened fire. A gunfight broke out and lasted about 10 minutes.
Once the shooting stopped, all officers were found unharmed. The group of smugglers fled back across the border. At first light, soldiers swept the area and found five sacks scattered in the forest, each containing about 200,000 methamphetamine pills.
The total seized in this case was one million pills. No injuries or casualties were found on the other side. Major General Kitdakon Chantra, commander of the Pha Muang Task Force and director of its anti-narcotics centre, has ordered units in the area to keep up strict efforts to prevent and crack down on drug smuggling.
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