CHIANG RAI – On Sunday, gunfire rang out deep in the forest along the Thai-Myanmar border near Ban Pha Mee, Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai. It was part of a drug suppression operation by army personnel from the Pha Muang Task Force.
They clashed with a drug trafficking group and managed to block a large shipment of methamphetamine pills, around 2,200,000 tablets.
Before the incident, the Pha Muang Task Force had received intelligence that a drug trafficking network planned to smuggle narcotics from a neighbouring country into Thailand.
The route would pass through the border area around Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai, then continue to couriers who would transport the drugs further into the country.
After receiving this report, Pha Muang Task Force commanders ordered the Thap Chao Tak Special Task Force to work with other relevant agencies to draw up a joint plan to intercept and arrest the traffickers.
On Saturday, at about 19.00 hrs, soldiers from the Pha Muang Task Force were on border patrol along the Thai-Myanmar line near Ban Pha Mee, Wiang Phang Kham subdistrict, Mae Sai district.
During the patrol, they spotted a group of 10 to 12 suspicious individuals. Each person carried a sack that had been altered into a backpack and was moving on foot into Thai territory.
The soldiers signalled and identified themselves, then moved in to search. As soon as they did so, the group opened fire with guns of unknown type and calibre to clear a path to flee. This started an exchange of gunfire that lasted for about 5 minutes.
When the situation calmed, all soldiers were safe. The suspects had dropped their loads and used their knowledge of the terrain to escape.
Officers believed they had retreated across the border into the neighbouring country, helped by the fact that the clash took place at night. As an immediate step, more troops were called in to secure the area around the contact point.
At 07.00 hrs on Sunday, officers moved in to inspect and confirm the situation around the clash site in daylight. They found 11 modified sack-backpacks abandoned at the scene. Inside each sack was a large quantity of methamphetamine pills, about 200,000 tablets per pack.
In total, the seized drugs amounted to roughly 2,200,000 methamphetamine pills.
Later, Major General Sathit Waiyanon, Commander of the Pha Muang Task Force, together with Colonel Suphan Roiput, Commander of the Thap Chao Tak Special Task Force, led officers from related agencies to examine the scene and inspect the seized evidence.
They then held a press briefing for the media. After the procedure was completed, the seized drugs were handed over to investigators at Mae Sai Police Station to expand the investigation and proceed with legal action.
