Herbal drug bust: Five million meth pills hidden under plants seized in Chiang Mai

A police operation in Chiang Mai’s Mueang district on Wednesday resulted in the interception of a pick-up truck filled with five million meth pills concealed underneath bags of herbal plants. Three individuals suspected of drug trafficking were taken into custody.

The operation was prompted by an intelligence report that indicated a substantial amount of meth pills were scheduled for transport through central Chiang Mai. The narcotics were believed to be concealed in an Isuzu pick-up truck carrying bags of a herbal plant known as snow lotus (Saussurea), or bua hima in Thai.

Region 5 police executed the interception under the Patan bridge along the second ring road in Tambon Chang Phueak on Wednesday evening. Beneath the bags of bua hima plants, the police discovered 25 straw bags, each containing 200,000 meth pills. This totalled up to an astonishing five million meth pills.

Three men, identified as 32 year old Nathapol and Napat, and 29 year old Prasit, were suspected of being drug couriers. They were arrested and subsequently charged with possession of illicit drugs to sell.

Following the arrests, the narcotics and the suspects were transferred to the Chang Phueak police for further legal proceedings, reported Bangkok Post.

A photograph from the scene shows the substantial haul of speed meth pills, carefully concealed under bags of herbal plants in the pick-up truck, starkly highlighting the audacity of the drug trafficking operation in Chiang Mai’s Mueang district.

Thailand is undergoing a notable change in its stance on drug possession, with the backing of the Justice Ministry and the Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) for an initiative led by the Public Health Ministry. The initiative’s objective is to redefine individuals caught with 10 or fewer meth pills as users rather than dealers. Read more HERE.

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