CHIANG RAI – A suspected drug-smuggling operation ended with a Mitsubishi Pajero plunging off the roadside near the Kok River after its driver allegedly fled a police checkpoint in Mae Chan district. Border Patrol Police seized approximately 800,000 methamphetamine tablets and arrested one suspected member of the convoy.
The driver abandoned the vehicle and jumped into the Kok River to escape. Police arrested a 29-year-old man from Narathiwat province who allegedly drove a Mazda ahead of the drug-laden vehicle as a scout.
Key Takeaways
- Border Patrol Police seized approximately 800,000 methamphetamine tablets from four backpacks inside the Mitsubishi Pajero.
- The Pajero driver escaped by jumping into the Kok River near the Thakok Bong Bridge.
- Police arrested a suspected 29-year-old lead-car driver and seized both vehicles for investigation.
The operation was announced at Border Patrol Police Company 327 in Chiang Rai at 4:30 p.m. on November 11. The briefing was led by Police Major General Phromwut Wutthiwatthachai, commander of Border Patrol Police Region 3, alongside Police Colonel Rangsiman Songkrotham, deputy commander of the region, and Police Colonel Ratthakorn Inthanon, superintendent of Border Patrol Police Division 32. Mae Chan Police Station and the Pha Muang Force also took part in the operation.
Police tracked two vehicles from the border
Investigators from Border Patrol Police Division 32, Company 327 and the Tha Khao Pluek checkpoint had identified a black Mazda travelling ahead of a grey Mitsubishi Pajero. The vehicles were suspected of moving from the border area into Chiang Rai, using secondary roads to avoid main checkpoints.
At about 7 a.m., officers signalled the Pajero to stop at the Tha Khao Pluek checkpoint in Mae Chan. The driver accelerated away and continued along the Chiang Saen–Chiang Rai bypass, according to the account published by Siam Rath.
The Pajero then went off the road beside the Kok River near Thakok Bong Bridge, which was undergoing maintenance. The driver got out and jumped into the river, escaping capture. Police searching the vehicle found four backpacks containing methamphetamine tablets.
A separate police team intercepted the black Mazda on a road near Ban Mae Ha Pa Rai in Mae Chan district. Officers detained its 29-year-old driver, a man from Narathiwat province. Police seized both vehicles and brought them, together with the suspected drugs, to Border Patrol Police Company 327 for counting and documentation.
Suspect says he was recruited for a first job
The detained man told investigators that a friend had contacted him about work. He said he bought an airline ticket to Chiang Rai, where the friend collected him and offered him payment to drive the lead vehicle. He claimed this was his first assignment, according to the report.
The police account did not identify the detained man or the driver who escaped. It also did not state how much he was allegedly promised, or provide a name for the person who recruited him.
For the Mae Chan case, Border Patrol Police said they were continuing efforts to locate the escaped Pajero driver and expand the investigation into the suspected trafficking network.
