Chiang Rai Border Patrol Police seized 1,600,000 methamphetamine pills and arrested two suspects who tried to take advantage of the floods to smuggle drugs into the country.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Woraphat Boonma, Commander of Border Patrol Police, told a press briefing that the 327th Border Patrol Police Company received a tip from an informant about drug smuggling in Mae Fah Luang District, Chiang Rai Province. The drugs were being transported via the Tha Khao Pluek route to Doi Luang District, Chiang Rai Province.
They deployed forces along that route. At about 12:30 AM on October 5, 2024, police spotted a suspicious car driving past Wat Muen Phuttha Metta Khunnaram, matching the informant’s description.
They followed the vehicle and radioed ahead to set a checkpoint at Ban Tha Khao Pluek in Mae Chan District.
When the car arrived at the checkpoint, police officers immediately requested a search. However, the car sped away, lost control, and crashed into a police car, preventing it from escaping.
The driver, identified as Mr. Thitiphong Saenluang, tried to run into a pineapple grove on the side of the road but was tackled by police officers. He and his passenger, identified as Mr. Kuphan Kubosu, were taken to the Mae Chan police station.
At the police station, officers inspected their vehicle and found three blue sacks containing about 600,000 methamphetamine pills.
During questioning, the suspects revealed where they picked up the drugs. A team of police raided a home in Wiang Chiang Rung District of Chiang Rai and found around 1,000,000 more methamphetamine pills but no suspects. They sent the evidence to Mae Chan Police Station in Chiang Rai for legal processing.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Woraphat told reporters that crime prevention and suppression in the border areas of Chiang Rai, especially drug trafficking, must be done intensively and continuously. Drug smuggling groups may seize the opportunity during disasters to transport drugs into the country.
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