Chiang Rai News
Police and Pha Mueang Taskforce Arrested Three Men with 100,000 Meth Pills
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CHIANG RAI – Police and troops of the Pha Mueang Taskforce arrested three men in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district early Thursday and seized 100,000 methamphetamine pills.
Police and the Pha Mueang Taskforce, manning a checkpoint, stopped a car at 3am in which a Thai National and two Myanmar nationals, were travelling.
Mr Sompote Ruangsi of Chiang Mai and a Myanmar national identified only as Ahmuh were in the vehicle.
Ahmuh admitted he was taking Sompote to pick up drugs from another Myanmar man, Ongteh, at the border in Mae Sai.
Undercover police drove the suspects vehicle to the planned meeting point and detained Mr. Ongteh from Myanamr when he approached on his motorcycle, carrying a bag containing 100,000 meth pills.
Mr. Sompote told authorities he’d been hired by a man he knew only as Pao in Chiang Mai to take the drugs to a resort in Mae Sai.
On May 14, rangers intercepted 15 drug couriers and killed nine of them in the firefight that followed, about 2 kilometres from the border in tambon Wiang Phang Kham, Mae Sai district.
They seized about 700,000 methamphetamine pills and three assault rifles.
Col Pakpong Ngae-santia, deputy commander of the 31st ranger task force said he believed the drugs were left there by the fleeing smugglers after the clash on May 14. The drugs were believed to belong to Muser traffickers led by Ja-ngoi.
