CHIANG RAI -Police joined forces with border patrol and ranger units in a tense pre-dawn chase along the Mekong riverside road, after a drug trafficking group tried to break through a checkpoint.
Officers arrested five suspects linked to three motorcycles used as scout vehicles, and seized 24 sacks of methamphetamine, with an estimated total of no less than 7 million pills.
On March 17, Pol. Maj. Gen. Manop Senakul, commander of Chiang Rai Provincial Police, along with Pol. Col. Ratwich Vasienphongthanat, superintendent of Chiang Khong Police Station, and Col. Jakraphong Sodsri, commander of Ranger Regiment 31 under the Pha Muang Task Force, received a tip-off that a major drug shipment would be moved along Highway 1290 beside the Mekong River in Chiang Khong district, near the Thai-Lao border.
After getting the report, officers from Chiang Khong Police Station, Ranger Company 3101, Task Force 31, and Border Patrol Police Company 326 set up a checkpoint and a blocking point in the Ban Huai Meng area, Moo 6, Wiang subdistrict, Chiang Khong district.
At about 2:00 a.m., while officers were inspecting passing traffic, they spotted three motorcycles riding ahead of a black Chevrolet SUV with Chonburi license plates. The officers signaled for the group to stop for a search. However, the riders sped away and tried to flee, triggering an immediate pursuit.
Authorities chased the group and managed to stop all three motorcycles. They arrested five men who were either driving or riding on the bikes. As for the SUV, officers found it parked on the roadside. The driver had already opened the door and escaped into the darkness.
When officers searched the vehicle, they found 24 rainbow-colored woven sacks inside. A preliminary check showed the bags were filled with methamphetamine pills stamped with a blue 999 mark. The total amount was estimated at around 7 million pills.
Police took the five motorcycle suspects, along with the seized drugs, to Chiang Khong Police Station for legal action and further investigation.
Investigators later identified another person connected to the SUV as a 31-year-old man from Wiang Chiang Rung district in Chiang Rai. Police are still tracking him down for questioning.
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