CHIANG RAI – Narcotics officers tracked and stopped two suspects as they tried to move 1.6 million methamphetamine pills from the Tham Luang–Khun Nam Nang Non area into Chiang Rai city. One suspect rode a motorbike ahead to check the route, while the other followed in a pickup truck packed with eight bags of drugs.
Police from the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) had received a tip-off about a major drug shipment. The investigation showed a trafficking group planned to transport a large quantity of illegal drugs from the Thai-Myanmar border in Pong Pha, Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai province. The group intended to use Phahonyothin Road to move the drugs deeper into the country, so officers kept a close watch.
On 18 August 2025, authorities spotted a silver Mazda BT-50 pickup with Chiang Rai plates leaving a public road near Tham Luang Cave in the national park area. The truck headed onto Phahonyothin Road at Nam Jam village, Pong Pha, with a blue and black Honda motorcycle, also registered in Chiang Rai, leading the way.
Police tailed both vehicles nearly to the edge of Mae Sai district. They moved in and blocked the vehicles as they approached an overpass near Huai Khrai municipality, in the Huai Khrai village area. Officers quickly detained both drivers, who are both male.
A search of the pickup revealed eight rice sacks on the back seat. Each sack contained about 200,000 methamphetamine pills, totalling roughly 1,600,000 pills. Officers arrested the two men and seized the drugs. Both suspects, along with the evidence, were handed over to investigators at the NSB 3 division for legal action and further investigation as required by law.
Since the start of August 2025, Chiang Rai, Thailand, has seen major drug seizures. Most of the cases involved methamphetamine pills and crystal meth (Ya Ice).
On August 8, 2025, the Northern Thailand Border Drug Suppression Command updated the public on its “Seal Stop Safe” campaign, which took place from 1 February to 31 July 2025.
During these six months, officers in Chiang Rai and other northern provinces confiscated over 233 million methamphetamine pills and 8,800 kilograms of crystal meth. Though the operation wrapped up before August began, its results were shared at a meeting on August 8, signalling continued anti-drug action. The crackdown broke up 24 drug groups and led to the seizure of assets worth more than 389 million baht.
On August 14, 2025, the Pha Muang Task Force made another large meth bust in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai. Troops caught up with a drug caravan crossing the Ruak River from Myanmar. After a short gunfight, the traffickers fled, leaving behind 14 sacks with about 2.8 million methamphetamine pills inside.
Authorities sent the drugs to the Ko Chang Police Station for further investigation. At a press conference, Police Lieutenant General Kritthaphon Yisakorn shared results from five related cases across the region. Police took in 3.6 million methamphetamine pills, 149 kilograms of crystal meth, and 101 kilograms of ketamine during these operations.
For the most current updates, authorities like the Pha Muang Task Force (hotline: 0-5321-1054, ext. 12) or the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) can provide further details.
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