Chiang Rai – Soldiers from the Pha Muang Task Force patrolling along the Thai-Myanmar border have seized 25kg of crystal meth after a brief firefight with drug runners.

Col. Nee Thimsen, Pha Muang Task Force Commander, said that at approximately 4 a.m., soldiers intercepted a group of 5-6 suspicious people carrying modified backpacks walking into the Thai side of the border in Tambon Koh Chang, Amphoe Mae Sai, Chiang Rai Province.

The soldiers gave the order to stop, but the group instead opened fire on the task force. The clash lasted for approximately 5 minutes.

When the gunfire stopped, all the soldiers were safe; they went to inspect the clash point and found drug runners had escaped.

Drugs seized Mae Sai Chiang Rai

They found four rainbow straw sacks packed in black plastic bags. The first three sacks contained 25 bags of ice, each weighing 1 kilogram, for a total weight of 25 kilograms, totaling 75 kilograms. The last sack contained 120,000 methamphetamine pills.

The drugs were taken to Pha Muang Task Force headquarters and would later be sent to the main Mae Sai police station.

Col. Nee Thimsen said the methamphetamine pills were similar to the 8.75 million pills seized in Chiang Khong District on August 14.

The packages of methamphetamine stamped 999 indicate that they belong to the Wa Army in the northern Shan State, which is currently fighting the Myanmar Junta army. Ethnic minorities fighting the Junta troops use the money from drugs to buy weapons