Chiang Rai Authorities Find 200,000 Meth Pills Abandoned by Drug Runners in Chiang Khong District

Narcotics suppression police, navy officers and Pha Muang task force soldiers were deployed to an area along the Mekong river between Chiang Saen and Chiang Khong after authorities were tipped off that a drug gang was planning to smuggle drugs through the border area.

The team recovered two fertiliser sacks sacks contained 204,000 methamphetamine pills bearing the stamp KKK and wrapped in small packs, abandoned in the roadside scrub in tambon Rim Khong, about 50 metres away from a ranger checkpoint.

Authorities believed smugglers had abandoned the drugs after seeing the ranger checkpoint.

The Golden Triangle and regions along the Mekong River are notorious for being one of the world’s most prolific drug-producing and trafficking areas.

In a bid to combat production and clean up the area, countries in the Mekong area have joined forces to create the Safe Mekong Joint Operation, which launched its first phase back in 2013.

This year saw the launch of its third phase, which will focus on the source of the issue: intercepting precursors and the chemicals used to create the narcotics in order to stop them from reaching the drug production base.

The Safe Mekong Joint Operation was originally made up of China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, and has been joined by Cambodia and Vietnam this year in order to best address the problem throughout the Southeast Asia region.

Results have so far been impressive and tangible through the efforts of the joint operation. Last year saw the following arrests and seizures made throughout the region, according to Prasong Rattanaphan, director of the Safe Mekong Coordination Centre:

• 7,900 alleged trug traffickers arrested
• Over 104,000,000 Methamphetamine pills seized
• 333 kg of heroin seized
• 268kg of crystal meth ‘yaba’ seized
• and over 40 tonnes of precursors seized

The third phase of the Safe Mekong Joint Operation is due to run until 2018.