CHIANG MAI – A patrol team from the Pha Muang Task Force was left stunned after uncovering a massive cache of illegal drugs under bamboo in a cornfield near the Chiang Dao border in Chiang Mai Province.
Authorities estimate the haul contains over 6 million methamphetamine pills packed inside 30 modified sacks disguised as backpacks. They are now working with other agencies to trace the drug network behind this stash.
This follows strict orders from Maj. Gen. Kidakorn Chantra, commander of Pha Muang Task Force and head of the anti-drug task centre, ramped up security along the northern border.
Increased smuggling attempts have led to several clashes between officers and traffickers near the Thai-Myanmar border in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, resulting in many seizures.
On the evening of 22 June, Col. Amnat Wachirasakdisopana, of Chaiyanupap Task Force, directed Capt. Jirapat Boonsong and his unit patrol natural trails in Chiang Dao. While checking farmland on a steep hillside in Ban Arunothai, Mu 10, Mueang Na subdistrict, officers spotted suspicious luggage.
On closer inspection, they found 30 sacks made to look like backpacks, hidden under bamboo and covered with corn stalks and weeds. Inside, each bag held about 200,000 methamphetamine pills, totalling an estimated 6 million pills.
The next morning, Col. Maitree Srisantia, chief of staff for Pha Muang Task Force, visited the site with related agencies to document the drugs before handing them to Na Wai Police Station. The aim is to track down the group involved. Extra patrols are now in place to secure the area.
Pha Muang Force reports that since 1 October 2024, officers have disrupted drug trafficking 305 times, arrested 312 suspects, and seized 132,674,951 meth pills, 145 kilos of heroin, 8,062 kilos of crystal meth, 42.9 kilos of opium, and 695 kilos of ketamine.
If these drugs had reached Bangkok, the estimated street value would reach around 28.8 billion baht. There have been 46 clashes with traffickers in which 25 suspects died.
The Pha Muang Task Force, a Royal Thai Army unit responsible for securing Thailand’s northern border across Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phayao, Nan, Uttaradit, and Phitsanulok, has been actively combating drug trafficking in 2025, particularly in the Golden Triangle region near Myanmar and Laos.
The task force reported a significant increase in drug smuggling, driven by armed ethnic groups in Myanmar’s Shan State producing methamphetamine to fund their resistance against the Myanmar military junta. Seizures in 2024-2025 were four times higher than in 2023, with 186 million meth pills confiscated in 432 operations.
