CHIANG RAI – Soldiers from the 2nd Cavalry Company of the Chao Tak Task Force, Pha Muang Forces, worked with the 35th Narcotics Suppression Unit (N.S.U. 35) to intercept an SUV suspected of drug trafficking in Mae Fah Luang District.
After a chase that included a checkpoint breach, officers later found the vehicle abandoned near a reservoir. Inside, they seized about 600 kilograms of crystal meth (ice). They also recovered an ID card from a 29-year-old man from Lampang, which officers are using as a lead.
The incident began the previous night during border patrols along the Thailand-Myanmar frontier in Mae Fah Luang, Chiang Rai. Near Ban Li Se, Village No. 9, Mae Fah Luang Subdistrict, the patrol spotted the Pajero driving unusually fast on a mountain road.
When officers signaled the driver to stop for a check, the vehicle accelerated and fled.
After that, soldiers of the 2nd Cavalry Company coordinated with N.S.U. 35 to set up a checkpoint in the Ban Huai Nam Khun area, Village No. 18, Mae Fah Luang Subdistrict.
However, the Pajero pushed through the checkpoint and escaped again. Officers continued the pursuit until they reached Huai Mae Rai Reservoir in Thoet Thai Subdistrict, Mae Fah Luang District, where they found the SUV parked by the water and moved in to inspect it.
No driver was found at the scene, and officials believe the suspect ran into the darkness. A search of the vehicle by soldiers turned up 24 sacks, white and blue, filled with crystal meth, aka ya ice. Each sack contained 25 wrapped packages, for a total weight estimated at around 600 kilograms.
Officers also found a personal document, a Thai national ID card belonging to a 29-year-old man from Ban Ueam Subdistrict, Mueang Lampang District. Authorities seized the SUV and the drugs as evidence, then began expanding the investigation to identify others involved.
According to reports, from October 1, 2025, through early March, Pha Muang Forces recorded 257 drug interceptions and arrested 265 suspects. Seizures included 151,621,703 meth pills, 1.3 kilograms of heroin, 2,407.2 kilograms of ice, 67 kilograms of opium, and 327.4 kilograms of ketamine.
Over the same period, authorities reported 34 armed confrontations, with 25 suspected traffickers killed. Officials said that if the seized drugs had reached Bangkok, the estimated economic damage based on street value could have reached 25,482 million baht.
