CHIANG RAI – Soldiers from the Pha Muang Task Force clashed with a drug caravan near Doi Pha Mee, close to Tham Luang in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai, seizing 7.2 million meth pills and arresting one suspect.
At 11:00 a.m. on 7 Nov 2025, Lt. Gen. Worathep Boonya, Third Army Region Commander, assigned Maj. Gen. Sathit Wyannon, Commander of the Pha Muang Task Force, inspected the scene. He was joined by Col. Suphan Roiphut of the Thap Chao Tak Special Task Force, the Mae Sai district chief, Mae Sai Police Station officers, and other agencies.
The team reviewed the clash site at Doi Pha Mee near Tham Luang in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai, where one suspect was captured and about 7.2 million meth pills were seized.
Lt. Gen. Worathep told a press briefing that the firefight began around 10:00 p.m. A patrol from the Thap Chao Tak Task Force conducted a patrol operating near Ban Pha Mee, Wiang Phang Kham subdistrict, Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai.
Soldiers spotted a group of about 30 to 35 people moving along a mountain trail, each carrying a modified pack. When the soldier ordered them to stop, the group opened fire. A firefight lasted about 15 minutes. No soldiers were hurt. Additional teams moved in to secure the area.
Col. Suphan Roiphut of the Thap Chao Tak Special Task Force, the Mae Sai district chief, Mae Sai Police Station officers, and other agencies reviewed the clash site at Doi Pha Mee near Tham Luang in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai, where one suspect was captured.
Soldiers from the Pha Muang Task Force swept the scene and found 30 modified sack backpacks. Inside were Category 1 narcotics, methamphetamine tablets, with about 240,000 pills per sack. The total came to approximately 7,200,000 pills, which were seized as evidence.
Following the clash, Lt. Gen. Worathep ordered stricter patrols along the border within the task force area. Units were told to harden checkpoints and block any attempts to move narcotics deeper into the country.
