CHIANG RAI – Drug suppression police have arrested a 45-year-old man carrying a pink ID card in Koh Chang, near the Mae Sai border. He was caught transporting both crystal meth and ketamine, nearly half a tonne in total, destined for a network in Chiang Rai city.
Mr Chan was charged for selling Type 1 narcotics (methamphetamine) and possessing them with the intent to distribute without permission, a crime affecting national security and public safety.
He also faces charges for selling and possessing Type 2 psychotropic substances (ketamine) with the intent to distribute, which also poses risks to public safety. The investigation began after police seized drugs and arrested suspects in Lower Central Thailand on 19 July 2025.
They found that Mr Chan planned to use a pickup to move the drugs from the Thai-Myanmar border at Mae Sai and hand them over to contacts within Chiang Rai city on the night of 26-27 July 2025. Police set up an operation to intercept the drug handover.
Officers spotted a black Isuzu pickup with Chiang Rai plates, driven by Mr Chan alone from Mae Sai towards Chiang Rai city along Phahonyothin Road. Police stopped the vehicle near Maekhao Tom Junction, Village 15, Nang Lae Subdistrict, Mueang Chiang Rai District.
Inside the cab, police discovered several large black bags containing 202 blocks of crystal meth, weighing 202 kilograms, and 228 blocks of ketamine, totalling 228 kilograms. They also seized two mobile phones. Mr Chan and all evidence were handed over to the investigators to face legal proceedings.
Drugs Seized in Phayao
In another case, Phayao police chased and shot the tires of a fleeing pick-up, dramatically stopping a drug transport operation. A white Mazda pickup with Phrae registration was acting as a scout for a grey Mitsubishi with Maha Sarakham plates, both involved in moving drugs through the region.
The chase ended in the early hours, with police having to shoot the tyres to bring the vehicles to a halt. Three suspects were arrested, and 4,000,000 methamphetamine pills were recovered.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Pongsawat Chaiyaban, Chief of Phayao Provincial Police, stated that they had received intelligence about a suspected drug convoy. He instructed Pol Col Wisit Pluemjai, head of the investigation unit, to work with the drug suppression team and local investigators to intercept the suspects.
Around 2 am, police spotted the suspected vehicles passing through Phayao city, with the Mazda acting as the lead car and the Mitsubishi following behind. Officers chased them, and the suspects sped out towards Mae Ka Subdistrict.
Police fired at the tires, successfully disabling the vehicle and arresting three men: Mr Kongkangwan or Kong Saijai, 60, Mr Natjak or Top Sonjai, 47, and Mr Rhianthong or Thong Chae Fah, 40.
After searching the vehicle, police found a huge cache of 4,000,000 methamphetamine pills packed in sixteen black bags, each holding 250,000 tablets, hidden in both the truck bed and inside the vehicle.
The suspects and the evidence were taken into custody for prosecution, with police preparing to track down other members of the group.
