CHIANG RAI – Border Patrol Police set up a checkpoint on Highway 1130 near the Doi Isara ascent in Mae Chan district, Chiang Rai, after receiving a tip-off about a major drug run. Suspects rammed the checkpoint, firing at officers, then abandoning their vehicles and fleeing into the forest. Officers later found 13 sacks of methamphetamine tablets, around 1.6 million pills.
Police Colonel Rangsiman Songkhrotham, deputy director at the Border Patrol Police drug suppression centre for Region 3, spoke alongside representatives from the military, Provincial Police Region 5, local administration, and ONCB Region 5. The team confirmed the seizure and said the case is being treated as a large-scale trafficking attempt.
Police said they were alerted on 19 December by an informant (name withheld) that drugs would be transported deeper into Thailand via Highway 1130. The vehicle described was a white Isuzu with Chiang Rai registration plates. The information was passed up the chain of command, and units were told to move quickly if the target was spotted.
A joint team from the Border Patrol Police drug suppression centre in Region 3 was formed, working with local Border Patrol Police commanders. The officers planned a stop-and-search operation along the likely route.
At about 6.20 pm on 19 December, officers spotted the suspected vehicle on Highway 1130 near the Doi Isara area. Police identified themselves and signalled the driver to stop for inspection.
Instead of stopping, the vehicle accelerated and attempted to ram officers to force a way through. The car then lost control and could not continue.
Two men wearing black clothing ran from the vehicle and opened fire at police with an unknown type of firearm. Officers returned fire. The suspects used the darkness and their knowledge of the area to escape into nearby woodland.
During the search, officers found blue woven sacks and packages wrapped in black plastic. Inside were 13 sacks of methamphetamine tablets, estimated at no fewer than 1,600,000 pills.
Police said the operation involved two suspect vehicles and around five people linked to the convoy. Officers have split into teams to track down those who escaped and will pursue charges once arrests are made.
