Chiang Rai News
Pha Muang Taskforce Seizes More than 18 Million Meth Pills in Chiang Rai
CHIANG RAI – Soldiers from Chiang Rai’s Pha Muang Taskforce seized more than 18 million meth pills in the drug-riddled “Golden Triangle”, Col Sutkhet Srinilthin told Thai media yesterday.
Col Sutkhet Srinilthin said they had received a tip-off that huge drug shipment of drugs were coming in from Myanmar.
He told reporters that members of the Pha Muang task force spotted two suspicious vehicles and followed them through Chiang Saen and Wiang Chiang Rung into Wiang Chai districts.
“We found and seized bags… all were methamphetamine, about 18.76 million pills,” commander Vichit Wongsang said in a press conference streamed live on Facebook.
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The suspects realized they were being followed and abandoned the two vehicles in Ban Wiang Kua Na and the drivers fled into the night.
Upon a search of the two vehicles soldiers found 88 bags containing approximately 18 million methamphetamine tablets and were branded with “999”, a trademark associated with Myanmar drug lords.
Commander Vichit Wongsang said the drugs flowing from the Golden Triangle the main base of operations for Southeast Asia’s highly lucrative methamphetamine trade.
Attempts to crack down on the drug’s influx into Thailand have resulted in massive seizures and left at least 15 alleged smugglers shot dead and approximately 60 Million Meth Pills Seized.
The seizure comes almost two weeks after police in Chiang Rai killed a smuggler in a shootout while two others escaped into the night.
Police said they found 15 million tablets in bags, also marked “999”, in that incident.
Traffickers in the region often employ smugglers from local hill tribes but much less is known about the major players involved and the vast amounts of product that makes it through.
