Police Seize 2 Million Meth Pills at Checkpoint in Chiang Rai

Police have arrested two drug mules carrying 2 million meth pills at a checkpoint in the northern border province of Chiang Rai in the early hours of Saturday. They were only identified as Mr. Kriti, 44, and Mr. Phap, 56.

Chiang Rai police confirmed that the two had been arrested and charged with the distribution of a Category 1 substance.

Authorities set up checkpoints on Road No 131 in tambon Rop Wiang of Chiang Rai on December 6 in response to a tip regarding a forthcoming effort to carry drugs via the Chiang Rai bypass.

On Saturday morning, police stopped and inspected a Chevrolet pickup truck traveling into Chiang Rai with Lampang license plates. Phap was in the passenger seat as Kriti drove the car.

Officers discovered numerous black plastic bags in the rear seat and unzipped them to find ten weaved sacks containing methamphetamine bags branded with Y1 and A. Each sack held 200,000 pills, for a total of 2 million.

The pair confirmed to authorities that they had been solicited to transport drugs during the Loy Krathong holiday.

They told authorities that they had just finished loading their vehicle 30 minutes previously and had just driven around 200 meters before being stopped.

Last month, the Mekong River patrol team, in coordination with paramilitary rangers and border patrol police, apprehended drug smugglers in Chiang Saen Chiang Rai. The combined operation resulted in the seizure of about 3 million meth pills.

The officials noticed a suspicious boat approaching the Thai shore in the village of Suan Dok, Ban Saeo sub-district, while patrolling the Mekong River in Chiang Saen, Chiang Rai.

When the boat arrived in Thailand, the officials positioned themselves to investigate it. When the occupants realized the police enforcement presence, they leaped into the river to flee.

Officials quickly started a search and seizure operation, discovering 15 sacks on board with an estimated 3 million meth pills. They will broaden their investigation in order to apprehend the suspects involved in the narcotics smuggling.

A week prior, police stopped a pick-up truck in Chiang Mai’s Muang district and discovered 5 million methamphetamine pills hidden beneath bags of herbal plants. Three alleged narcotics couriers were apprehended.

The operation was prompted by an intelligence report that a large quantity of meth pills were being brought through the heart of Chiang Mai in an Isuzu pick-up truck loaded with bags of snow lotus (Saussurea), also known as bua hima in Thai.

Region 5 police stopped the vehicle under the Patan bridge over the second ring road in tambon Chang Phueak on Wednesday night.

Under the bags of bua hima plants, the cops discovered 25 straw bags, each holding 200,000 meth pills, for a total of 5 million.

Nathapol, 32, Napat, 32, and Prasit, 29, three men suspected of being drug couriers, were detained and charged with possessing illicit substances with intent to sell. The drugs and suspects were turned over to Chang Phueak police for prosecution.

Drug Trafficking Enforcement in Chiang Rai

The Mekong River region, particularly in Southeast Asia, has long been a hub for drug trafficking. The Golden Triangle, which connects Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand, is notorious for being a significant source of opium and heroin production.

This region has a lengthy history of drug cultivation, manufacture, and trafficking.

The newly constructed International Narcotics Control College (INCC) in Chiang Rai intends to teach law enforcement officers and partner organizations in the Mekong subregion to combat drug trafficking.

The institution, the first of its kind in the Mekong area, is located in Chiang Saen district, within the grounds of the Hall of Opium, nicknamed Thailand’s opium museum.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Thailand’s Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) recently introduced it. Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand form the Golden Triangle, a main opium-producing region in Southeast Asia.  Read More…