CHIANG RAI – Authorities in Chiang Rai stopped a major drug shipment after a pickup truck carrying oranges was found hiding narcotics underneath the cargo. Officers seized about 1.2 million methamphetamine pills and roughly 145 kilograms of crystal meth (ice). Four people were arrested, including a sedan driver believed to be scouting ahead.
The operation took place around 2:00 a.m. on January 28. Narcotics suppression police in Chiang Rai received information that a trafficking group planned to move a large load along Phahonyothin Road on the Chiang Rai to Bangkok route.
Police then coordinated with soldiers from the Pha Muang Task Force and local provincial police to track and intercept the vehicles.
Investigators spotted a white Isuzu D-Max pickup with a steel cargo frame and Bangkok plates traveling toward Phan District, Chiang Rai, heading in the direction of Mae Chai District, Phayao. A white Honda City sedan was driving in front, matching the tip.
Officers worked with Phan Police Station and set up enforcement at the Pu Kaeng checkpoint in Mae Yen Subdistrict, Phan District. When the two vehicles arrived, the police stopped and inspected them. Each vehicle carried a man and a woman, bringing the total to four occupants.
During a search of the pickup, officers found the bed stacked with plastic crates filled with oranges. After moving the crates, they discovered six sacks underneath. Inside were methamphetamine pills, estimated at 200,000 pills per sack, for a total of about 1,200,000 pills.
Police also found tea-bag-style packages containing crystal meth, with a combined weight of about 145 kilograms.
All four suspects were taken into custody and sent, along with the seized drugs and vehicles, to the narcotics suppression unit for prosecution and further investigation.
