CHIANG RAI – Police in Laos raced through the city after a large haul of methamphetamine tablets was intercepted. A 12-wheel truck, loaded with almost 13 million pills hidden in 64 sacks, sped past a checkpoint in Xayaburi province.
The vehicle was travelling from Bokeo province, with plans to deliver the drugs to a network in Vientiane Capital. The driver eventually ditched the truck in Muang Khop and slipped away during the night. After extensive searching, police caught him the next day.
According to the Muang Khop Community Radio in Xayaburi, police at the Ban Had Ngam checkpoint noticed a brown Jiefang truck coming from Pak Tha, Bokeo province, which borders Chiang Rai.
On the evening of September 10, officers signalled for the driver to pull into a lot for inspection. Instead, the truck drove straight through and headed deeper into Laos.
Police quickly chased the vehicle and alerted other units in Muang Khop to block possible exits. The truck was later found abandoned at an intersection in Ban Muang Don Mun, in the Khop area. Officers surrounded the site, but the driver had managed to escape into nearby forests.
Further investigation identified the driver as Mr. Khuay Yang, a 28-year-old Hmong man from Ban Huay Din Chi in Pak Tha District, Laos. Police and soldiers searched intensively and found him the next morning.
A search of the truck uncovered 64 black plastic sacks weighing over 1,490 kilograms. Inside were more than 12,742,000 meth pills.
Initial questioning revealed the drugs had been picked up in Bokeo and were on their way to clients in Vientiane. Authorities have taken the suspect and seized the drugs into custody while continuing their investigation, according to Lao law.
Drug Smuggling in the Golden Triangle, Laos, and Chiang Rai
The Golden Triangle, where the borders of Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand meet, has shifted from its past as an opium centre to the largest source of methamphetamine in the world. This includes both crystal meth (often called “ice”) and yaba tablets, a mix of meth and caffeine.
Thick jungle covers much of this area, which includes parts of Myanmar’s Shan State, northern Laos, and Thailand’s Chiang Rai province. Weak border controls, armed groups, and a lack of strong leadership have helped turn the region into a hotspot for making and moving synthetic drugs.
Since the 2021 military takeover in Myanmar, meth production has grown at an alarming rate. Organized crime, armed militias, and groups with Chinese backing have all played a part in the trade.
In 2024, a record 236 tons of meth were seized in East and Southeast Asia, up 24% from the year before, with most linked back to the Golden Triangle. Drugs from this region use Laos as a main transit route and often make their way into Thailand through Chiang Rai. This flow of drugs has led to a rise in local addiction, violence, and economic struggles.
Over 90% of the meth from this area is produced in hidden labs in Myanmar’s Shan State. These are controlled by ethnic armed groups like the United Wa State Army (UWSA), National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), and Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA).
These groups, some loyal to the military and some on their own, get the needed chemicals from China, moving them through Thailand and Laos. Their factories turn out millions of yaba pills and large amounts of crystal meth each year. In Myanmar, a yaba tablet can cost as little as $0.60.
The Mekong River marks a key border in this trade, with drugs often dropped at ports such as Chiang Saen for later collection. In Thailand, Chiang Rai’s Sop Ruak and Chiang Khong areas see much of this activity. Smugglers move goods by boat, backpack, or vehicle, slipping past checkpoints by taking detours through Laos before coming back into Thailand, which adds little extra cost.
