Army Rangers Thwart Massive Drug Shipment in Thoeng District of Chiang Rai

 

CHIANG RAI – A team of army rangers manning a road checkpoint have seized nearly 5 million speed pills (yaba) and a tonne of crystal methamphetamine.

The rangers manning a road checkpoint in Thoeng District spotted two pickup trucks vehicles travelling from the border village of Paendingthong at approximately 2am, officers signaled them to stop for a search but the drivers made a U-turn and sped away.

The soldiers gave chase and when they reached Rakpaendin village, one of the fleeing pickup trucks skidded into a roadside ditch.

The soldiers apprehended the driver of one pickup truck and the other allegedly fled into the cover of darkness.

Upon a search of the blue Mitsubishi pickup driven by Laopor Sae Fa, 46, soldiers discovered 44 sacks containing 3.2 million speed pills (yaba) and a total of 560kg of crystal methamphetamine.

About 50 metres away from the Mitsubishi pickup, rangers and local police found another 23 sacks that had been abandoned containing 1.6 million speed pills and 345kg of crystal methamphetamine, bringing the total seizure to 4.8 million pills and 978kg of crystal meth.

By Theerawat Khamthita

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Photo’s Local News2010