CHIANG RAI – Police seized around 4 million methamphetamine pills after a high-speed car chase ended with a vehicle plunging into a roadside canal near the airport.
On Saturday, local police from Chiang Rai and Ban Du set up a checkpoint along a bypass in Ban Du after receiving a tip about a drug shipment coming through the area. Officers spotted a suspicious black Honda CR-V parked near Mae Fah Luang Airport, so they moved in to investigate.
The suspects in the parked car noticed the police and tried to escape. Their quick getaway attempt caused the vehicle to lose control and crash into a canal. Officers quickly surrounded the scene and found two men inside the vehicle. Both tried to run but were caught. One suffered injuries in the crash.
Police searched the car and discovered 19 sacks packed with methamphetamine pills, adding up to an estimated 4 million tablets. Both suspects were arrested at the scene. The injured man was sent to the hospital. All evidence was handed over to investigators for further action.
Initial questioning revealed that the suspects had picked up the drugs at the Thai-Myanmar border near Mae Fa Luang district and were waiting for another group to collect the shipment. Their operation was stopped before the handover could take place.
In May 2025, Chiang Rai authorities made major progress against drug trafficking, with several large busts focusing on methamphetamine and ketamine.
One May 20, Police in Chiang Rai confiscated more than a ton of illegal drugs, made up of 578 kilograms of crystal meth and 529 kilograms of ketamine. Six people were taken into custody. Officers intercepted two separate deliveries as part of this operation.
The first seizure happened on May 13, when police stopped a Mitsubishi XPANDER near the local government offices and found the meth.
The second incident took place on May 17 after a car chase, when officers discovered the ketamine stash. The suspects, who said they were paid by a broker from Myanmar, were moving the drugs from Chiang Saen for distribution inside Thailand.
May 26-28, Police uncovered 500,000 methamphetamine pills in a parcel shipment in Chiang Rai and arrested two people tied to a trafficking group led by a former inmate. This case, reported by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), showed traffickers using postal services to move drugs.
These events show ongoing work by Region 5 Police and the Pha Muang Task Force to stop drug smuggling in Chiang Rai. The province remains a hot spot for trafficking, given its location near the Golden Triangle, an area known for synthetic drug production. The region’s closeness to Myanmar’s Shan State keeps it on high alert for drug-related crime.
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