Drug gang caught with two million meth pills in Loei
A drug trafficking gang attempted to use the long holiday to smuggle two million methamphetamine pills from a neighbouring country. They were apprehended at a checkpoint after trying to flee.
Yesterday, April 6, Police Lieutenant General Chatchai Surachetphong, Major General Boonsin Phadklang, Loei Provincial Governor Chaiphot Charoonpong, Police Major General Wiradech Lekaworakul, Police Lieutenant Colonel Yutthawat Chokchai, Police Colonel Natthakrit Khamsaowisatchai, Pak Chom District Chief Suchin Chanpan, Colonel Suporntep Chaiyong, Colonel Intrawut Thongkham, and other relevant agencies announced the arrest of three suspects. They were caught near the Mekong River in Pak Chom district.
The arrested suspects are 40 year old Pipat or Keh and 32 year old Trithawut Gas, and 31 year old Khanyanit, all from Bang Saphan district, Prachuap Khiri Khan province.
They were found with seven sacks of methamphetamine, totalling approximately two million pills, and a Toyota Yaris Cross vehicle, registration number Kaw-744 from Ratchaburi. The arrest took place at a drug suppression checkpoint at Ban Hat Bia, Moo 7, Pak Chom subdistrict, Loei province, late at night.
Police had received intelligence about potential drug smuggling from neighbouring countries into the interior, especially during the long holiday. As a result, they intensified their checkpoints.
While officers from the Pak Chom Police Station were stationed at the Pak Chom intersection (Checkpoint 2), they noticed the suspect’s vehicle approaching from Chiang Khan towards Pak Chom. Upon seeing the checkpoint, the suspects turned the vehicle around and headed back towards Chiang Khan.
Believing the vehicle contained illegal items, police pursued it and radioed ahead to Checkpoint 3 at Ban Hat Bia to intercept the vehicle. A search of the vehicle revealed seven sacks containing two million methamphetamine pills, leading to the suspects’ arrest, reported KhaoSod.
Initially, the suspects are charged with possession of a category 1 narcotic (methamphetamine) with intent to distribute, which contributes to the spread among the public. The three suspects have been handed over to investigators for further legal proceedings.
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