CHIANG RAI – Soldiers from Pha Muang Task Force report a large drug-smuggling group tried to move a massive load of methamphetamine across the Thai-Myanmar border in broad daylight in Mae Sai district, just about 300 meters from a Thai military base.
Troops opened fire to stop the group, seized the drugs, and arrested one suspect.
A spokesperson from the soldiers from Pha Muang Task Force told reporters that at approximately 12:30 p.m. Friday, soldiers from Pha Muang Task Force were patrolling the Thai-Myanmar border area in Mae Sai, Chiang Rai.
During the patrol, officers spotted a suspicious group of roughly 30 to 35 people in the forest near Huai Nam Rin Village (Village 7), Wiang Phang Kham Subdistrict. The group was carrying modified sacks and moving from the border area into Thailand. The location was reportedly only about 300 meters from the Pa Sak base.
The soldiers identified themselves and moved in to search the group. The suspects then opened fire with weapons of unknown type and caliber. A brief firefight followed, lasting about five minutes. No Thai personnel were injured. Most of the suspects fled into the forest, using their knowledge of the terrain. Officials said losses on the opposing side were not yet known.
Later that day, at about 5:00 p.m., Col. Thawat Inkhong, Deputy Commander of Task Force Thap Chao Tak, along with other agencies, inspected the scene. Authorities arrested one suspect, a 17-year-old male from Myanmar.
Officers also found 30 abandoned modified sacks scattered along the forest route. Inside were methamphetamine tablets (Category 1 narcotics). Each sack held about 200,000 pills, for a total seizure of about 6,000,000 methamphetamine pills.
During initial questioning, the 17-year-old reportedly admitted he was hired to carry the drugs with about 30 others. The group allegedly crossed from the Ban Pa Sak area in Tachileik, Myanmar, and he said he was promised 15,000 baht.
He also claimed he had done this job five times before. The suspect and the seized drugs were handed over to Mae Sai Police Station for legal proceedings.
Pha Muang Task Force reported that from October 1, 2025, through late January 2026, officers intercepted narcotics in 190 cases and arrested 202 suspects. Seized items included 95,101,131 meth pills, 1.3 kilograms of heroin, 1,662 kilograms of crystal meth, 1.5 kilograms of opium, and 327.2 kilograms of ketamine.
Over the same period, officials reported 28 armed clashes with trafficking groups, with 16 suspects killed. Authorities estimated that if the seized drugs had reached Bangkok, the potential economic damage based on street value could have reached 19,230,953,969 baht.
