PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN – Police arrested four people at a petrol station after they found a freight truck packed with 600 kilograms of crystal meth, valued at 60 million baht. The drugs were hidden inside a white Isuzu freight truck.
Officers believe the drugs were being moved from Chiang Rai to Hat Yai. The suspects are now being questioned, and police suspect this group is part of a larger southern network.
On 5 September, a joint operation between the local investigation team and anti-narcotics officers led to the seizure in Hua Hin. Officers had received information about a large drug shipment expected to pass through the area on its way south.
They decided to keep an eye out and split into two teams, closely watching the bypass road near Thap Tai in Hua Hin district.
Police reported that the arrest was led by Pol Col Kampanat Na Wichai, the Hua Hin police chief, along with Pol Lt Col Patiwat Wichien and Pol Lt Col Satianpong Kraipinij. Officers from the Narcotics Suppression Bureau Region 4, national anti-drug police, and Prachuap Khiri Khan highway police also joined the operation.
The four suspects arrested are all from Nakhon Ratchasima province. They are Mr. Ritthikiet, 28, Mr. Suraphon, 23, Mr. Suriya, 33, and Mr. Somsak, 30. Police discovered 17 large sacks of crystal meth, with a total weight of 600 kilograms, hidden inside the freight truck parked at the petrol station by bypass road number 37.
The police investigation team had earlier received a tip-off that a major drug syndicate planned to transport crystal meth from the north through Hua Hin towards the south. Their goal was to deliver the shipment to Hat Yai in Songkhla province.
Officers monitored suspicious vehicles quietly until they spotted the lorry in question stopping at the petrol station. They searched the vehicle straight away and found the drugs stashed throughout the lorry.
Early interviews show all four men admitted to being paid 100,000 baht each time they transported the drugs. They said they brought crystal meth from Chiang Rai to the south three times in the past and succeeded, but this time, they were caught at the petrol station.
The suspects and evidence have now been handed over to the Anti-Narcotics Police for further questioning to find other members of the group. Officers believe this operation is part of a much wider network that operates across several provinces.
This success highlights the growing threat posed by drug trafficking routes from north to south Thailand. Authorities are stepping up their efforts, but the problem remains serious as drug gangs keep trying to move their shipments to the southern region.
