CHIANG RAI -Soldiers from the Pa Muang Task Force have seized 245 kilograms of crystal meth methamphetamine (ya-ice) after a brief firefight with drug runners in Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai, a known route for cross-border drug shipments.
Maj Gen Sathit Wainon, commander of the Pa Muang Task Force, Col Suphan Roiput of Task Force Thap Chao Tak, and Lt Col Thanchaphat Sornthom of the Pha Thamin Command, joined relevant officers to inspect a clash site.
The encounter involved Cavalry Company 3, Pha Thamin Command, Task Force Thap Chao Tak, and a group smuggling narcotics.
The confrontation followed a patrol at 10.30 pm on 6 October 2025. Cavalry Company 3 deployed soldiers to monitor the border to deter drug trafficking under the Narcotics Act. The patrol took place near Ban Pa Sang Ngam, Moo 6, Ko Chang subdistrict, Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai.
Officers spotted a group of about 8 to 12 suspects carrying sacks as they moved along paddy fields, about 500 metres from the Sai River, which marks the border. When officers identified themselves to search, the group opened fire with unknown weapons.
A firefight followed for around five minutes. The suspects then retreated across the border. Troops secured the area.
Chiang Rai Soldiers Inspect and Seize Drugs
At first light, officers searched the vicinity and found 10 fertilizer sacks scattered at the scene. Two teams were sent to control the area. All the sacks contained a Category 1 narcotic, crystal methamphetamine (ice), weighing about 245 kilograms.
The haul comprised nine sacks of 25 kilograms each and one sack of 20 kilograms. Officers alerted security agencies and other relevant bodies to examine the evidence and widen the investigation to identify those behind the smuggling, with a view to prosecution.
Also on 6 October, the Chiang Rai Provincial Police Narcotics Suppression unit detained two Myanmar men with a large haul of methamphetamine tablets. The arrests followed sustained surveillance of an active drug network.
Methamphetamine Seized
Police officers observed a grey Ford sedan with Chiang Rai plates travelling on Phahonyothin Road from Mae Sai to Mae Chan, escorted by a motorcycle. At the Mae Chan T-junction, the car turned back towards the Chiang Saen–Mae Chan road, then turned right onto the Ban Den Sansai–Ban Tha Khao Pluak road in Mae Chan. This is a secondary link to the eastern bypass of Chiang Rai.
Police set up a checkpoint at the signalized intersection in front of Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International Airport, in Moo 10, Ban Du, Mueang Chiang Rai. When the two vehicles arrived, officers pulled them over. The sedan’s driver was identified as Mr Leemu, no surname, 21, a stateless cardholder living in Moo 1, Wiang Phang Kham, Mae Sai. Another man, Mr Eesaw, 22, resides in Myanmar.
A search of the sedan found four woven sacks wrapped in black plastic on the back seat and in the boot. Inside were Category 1 narcotics, methamphetamine tablets, about 900,000 pills. Both suspects were arrested for prosecution under the law.
