Chiang Rai – Border patrol police uncovered a major drug trafficking operation, leading to a dramatic late-night car chase. An SUV carrying 50 sacks of methamphetamine, weighing over 700 kilograms, was abandoned near Mae Chan after the suspects fled into the forest.
On February 18, officials from the 327th Border Patrol Unit attached to the Pha Muang Task Force in Mae Chan, Chiang Rai, received a tip about a large drug shipment coming from the Thai-Myanmar border along Highway 1130. Acting on this information, officers began surveillance in the area.
Later that evening, a white Isuzu SUV with Chiang Rai plates matching the description in the tip-off was spotted descending from the mountain. The officers followed the vehicle as it passed through Mae Fa Luang district.
Once the suspects noticed they were being tailed, they accelerated and attempted to escape by turning into a local village road. The vehicle sped through a longan orchard before stopping in a steep cornfield. The suspects abandoned the SUV and fled into the dense forest under darkness.
The Border Patrol Unit promptly contacted local administrative officials from the Mae Fa Luang district and the Pha Muang Task Force soldiers to assist in the operation. With the support of district officers and military personnel, efforts were made to secure the area and recover any evidence.
Upon inspecting the abandoned SUV, officers discovered 50 sacks tightly packed with a white crystalline substance. Preliminary testing confirmed the substance to be methamphetamine. Each sack weighed approximately 14 kilograms, bringing the total haul to roughly 700 kilograms.
The seized drugs were transported to the 327th Border Patrol Unit in Mae Chan for documentation. The evidence was later handed over to Mae Fa Luang police for further investigation and legal proceedings. Authorities are continuing to search for the suspects involved in the trafficking operation.
