CHIANG RAI – Border Patrol Police in Mae Chan, Chiang Rai, detained two suspects and seized 4.4 million meth pills (yaba), packed in 24 blue polypropylene sacks in their pickup truck, Pol Lt Gen Rungroj Thakoorapun Yasir announced at a press briefing.
The arrest followed a tip-off that a large shipment was moving through Chiang Saen towards Mueang Chiang Rai. At about 1 pm, Border Patrol officers spotted a grey ISUZU matching the target vehicle and signalled it to stop.
The driver sped off, so officers pursued and forced the vehicle to halt at the roadside. Both suspects were detained at the scene. A search of the rear passenger area revealed 24 sacks wrapped in black plastic and blue bags, which contained the yaba pills.
The pair were charged with jointly possessing Category 1 narcotics for sale, as an act committed for commercial gain, a serious offence that harms state security. They were taken, along with the evidence, to Ban Du Police Station for further legal action.
In a separate operation, Narcotics Suppression Police and military units stopped two men driving a pickup with Chiang Rai plates, transporting 300 kilograms of crystal meth, known as ice, from Wiang Chai towards Chiang Rai city.
Investigators had learned that a drug syndicate planned to move drugs from the Chiang Rai border into the country’s interior via a secondary route in Wiang Chai. Teams were deployed to track the convoy.
They located a Ford pickup with Chiang Rai registration on Route 1152, which links Wiang Chai and Mueang Chiang Rai, matching the alert. Officers moved in to stop the vehicle.
Two men were found inside and detained. A search uncovered nine woven sacks containing crystal meth, weighing more than 300 kilograms. The suspects and evidence were sent to the Meuang Chiang Rai Police Station for prosecution and to widen the investigation into the network.
Narcotics Suppression Police report that from 1 October 2568 to the present, the Pa Muang Task Force, which secures the upper northern border, has intercepted drugs 16 times, arrested 20 suspects, and seized 6,860,865 yaba pills, 1.04 kilograms of heroin, and 245 kilograms of ice.
If these drugs had reached Bangkok, the economic impact from street value would have been 1,275.1 million baht, equal to 1,275,169,750 baht. There were four armed clashes with traffickers, with one smuggler killed.
Thai authorities, including the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), Border Patrol Police, Pha Muang Task Force, and local police, have intensified operations under national campaigns like “No Drugs, No Dealers: Toward Zero Drugs Thailand” (launched August 2024).
These efforts involve joint raids, intelligence tips, X-ray scanners at checkpoints, and cross-border cooperation with Myanmar. Despite progress, with over 300 raids and 347 arrests in Chiang Rai and neighbouring provinces. The porous border and Myanmar’s instability pose ongoing challenges.
Most seizures occur in Mae Sai, Mae Fah Luang, and Chiang Saen districts, often involving armed confrontations. From January to August 2025, northern provinces (including Chiang Rai) seized 346 million meth pills—a 172% increase from all of 2023. Heroin and precursor chemicals are also intercepted, though meth dominates.
