CHIANG RAI – Police expanded an anti-drug operation in central Chiang Rai and seized 66 sacks of methamphetamine, around 10 million pills, hidden inside more than 30 sofas. The stash was prepared to fool officers and move the drugs deeper into the country.
Pol Lt Gen Kritthaphon Yisakorn, Commissioner of Police Region 5, directed the operation. Pol Maj Gen Thanarat Chumsawat, Deputy Commissioner of Region 5, oversaw the expansion team, working with the Region 5 Investigation Division and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board. They coordinated with the Chiang Rai Provincial Police under Pol Maj Gen Manop Senakul.
Officers arrested five suspects and seized 66 sacks of meth pills, one car, and one motorcycle at a warehouse between Ban Huai Plakang and Ban Nam Lat in Mae Yao subdistrict, Mueang Chiang Rai district, Chiang Rai. The raid took place in the late afternoon of 10 Nov 2025.
Pol Lt Gen Kritthaphon told reporters that the seizure was tied to a drug bust on 29 Jun 2025, where officers at the Den Chai district, Phrae, arrested one suspect and seized a six-wheel lorry carrying about 10 million meth pills concealed in speaker cabinets. Investigators then obtained arrest warrants for four more suspects.
The probe identified Mr Kritnachai, 40, from Thoeng district, Chiang Rai, as the coordinator controlling cross-border drug movements. Police are gathering evidence to seek a warrant. Investigators also linked Mr Witen Saeyang, wanted in the Huai Rai 10‑million‑pill case, to a warehouse rental operation in Chiang Rai used to hide drugs before shipping them to inner provinces.
The Region 5 police expansion team, Region 5 Investigation Division, and Chiang Rai Provincial Police, in joint action with the ONCB, developed intelligence from a confidential source.
They learned the network had rented a warehouse beside a 7‑Eleven near Nam Lat community on the road between the Huai Plakang junction and Ban Nam Lat in Rim Kok subdistrict, Mueang district, Chiang Rai.
The drugs were concealed inside sofas for transport. Surveillance continued for several days. On November 9 and 10, undercover officers saw lorries and people moving in and out of the site. At about 1.30 pm on November 10th, police believed the warehouse held sofas packed with drugs and moved in to seal the area.
Police Officers arrested:
- Mr Chumphon Saewang, 35
- Mr Pinit Sae Hoe, 29
- Mr Woraphon Sae Hoe, 25
- Mr Phatthanakorn Saeyang, 22
They also arrested Mr Witen Saeyang, 26, the fifth suspect, in a room in Tonkok Hotel, Rim Kok subdistrict, Mueang Chiang Rai.
Inside the warehouse, police found 66 sacks of meth pills hidden in 34 sofas, with one to three sacks in each sofa. They seized the drugs, the car, and the motorcycle and took the suspects in for legal action.
The investigation is ongoing. Mr Witen Saeyang, the fifth suspect, is already wanted in the Huai Rai case involving 10 million pills. Police have placed a hold on him for prosecution under that warrant as well.
