CHIANG MAI – Provincial Police Region 5 has announced that Northern Region Drug Bust Netted 8.6 Million Meth Pills, 450kg of Ice Across Four Crackdowns, Ten Arrested, and New AI Vehicle Scanning System Deployed as Traffickers Alter Tactics
On 1 September 2025, Pol. Lt. General Kridtapol Yeesakorn, Commander of Provincial Police Region 5 based in Chiang Mai, announced a breakthrough against narcotics following the government’s orders, led by Pol. Gen. Kittirat Panpet, the National Police Chief.
Officers arrested ten suspects and confiscated over 8.6 million methamphetamine tablets and 450 kilograms of crystal meth across Phayao, Chiang Rai, and Lampang.
This large-scale effort combined forces from police, military, and administrative teams. AI-based screeners and high-tech X-ray machines were used at key checkpoints to inspect suspicious vehicles. Each step in this crack operation involved tight coordination and made use of both technology and manpower.
Case 1: Mae Ka Checkpoint, Phayao. Four million meth pills seized. On 27 July 2025, Mae Ka police set up a checkpoint after receiving a tip from the Region 5 Drug Suppression Centre about an incoming narcotics shipment. Police stopped two vehicles and arrested three men: Mr Kongkangwan, Mr Natjak, and Mr Anucha. Police found four million meth pills hidden in a pickup truck.
Case 2: Mae Sai, Chiang Rai. 1.6 million meth pills confiscated. On 27 August 2025, Mae Sai police were tipped off by an informant about a trafficking group moving drugs from the border area. Officers intercepted Mr Leesang’s vehicle on Phahon Yothin Road. They discovered 1.6 million meth tablets packed in sacks.
Case 3: Sop Prap Checkpoint, Lampang. Three million meth pills recovered. This case followed the first operation in Phayao. Investigators learned there were more people involved in the syndicate. They tracked a six-wheel lorry and two escort cars.
On 27 August 2025, police stopped the lorry at Sop Prap and arrested two men, finding three million meth pills hidden in a secret compartment. The other two cars fled, but police caught the three suspects later on a train at Phitsanulok station. All five suspects were brought in for prosecution.
Case 4: Mae Phrik Checkpoint, Lampang. 450kg of ice seized. On 28 August 2025, following intelligence about a drug haul expected along this route, Mae Phrik police set up a checkpoint and flagged a suspicious car. They arrested the driver, Mr Sitthiphon. Using an X-ray tunnel, officers found 30 blocks of ice, totalling 450 kilograms, wrapped in black plastic.
Lt Gen. Kridtapol stated that this wave of arrests covered eight provinces in northern Thailand. Teams relied on AI tools and X-ray machines to closely monitor vehicles at key checkpoints.
The result was one of the largest single hauls in the region. Police revealed traffickers stuck to their usual method, using modified trucks to hide narcotics, but officers detected and stopped six such vehicles. Police expect traffickers will now try new tactics, so all staff are ordered to be more vigilant than ever.
Provincial Police Region 5 stressed that they will maintain a strict crackdown on drug trafficking in line with government policy, stopping illegal drugs from reaching Thailand’s inner provinces.
The police in northern Thailand face a relentless battle against drug smuggling, driven by the region’s proximity to the Golden Triangle, a notorious hub for illicit drug production and trafficking. Rugged terrain, porous borders with Myanmar and Laos, and well-organized criminal networks complicate enforcement efforts.
Despite increased patrols, intelligence operations, and international cooperation, smugglers exploit remote routes and advanced concealment methods to traffic methamphetamine and other drugs. Corruption, limited resources, and the sheer volume of contraband continue to challenge authorities, who struggle to balance interdiction with addressing local addiction and socio-economic factors fueling the trade.
