Thai police seize massive drug haul after high-speed chase

Thai police successfully arrested members of a drug trafficking gang, seizing a massive haul of narcotics, after a high-speed chase involving gunfire. The gang attempted to flee but their vehicle was eventually disabled, leading to their capture.

Chada Thaiset, Deputy Minister of Interior, along with Uthai Thani Governor, Kittirat Phanphet, Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, and regional officials, yesterday, August 27, announced the arrest of three people: 39 year old Thanet, 36 year old Jirawat, and 41 year old Adit.

The operation resulted in the confiscation of significant quantities of drugs, including 4,800,000 methamphetamine pills, 500 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine, 300 kilogrammes of ketamine, and 225 kilogrammes of heroin.

The police also seized various vehicles used by the gang: a BMW motorcycle, a Honda Forza motorcycle, a Ford pickup truck, and a Toyota pickup truck, all registered in Bangkok. This raid stemmed from an extensive investigation by the Tak Provincial Police, Region 6 Investigation Unit, and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board Region 6.

The investigation revealed that the gang was smuggling drugs across the northern border into Tak Province, aiming to distribute them further inland. The police monitored their movements and coordinated with the Ban Rai Police to set up a checkpoint at the Ban Rai intersection. Thanet, Jirawat, and Adit were apprehended at the checkpoint, but another pickup truck managed to escape capture.

Despite police shooting at the front and rear tyres of the escaping vehicle, the suspects continued driving for several more kilometres until the tyres caught fire, forcing them to stop. The suspects then abandoned the vehicle, firing four shots at the pursuing police vehicle. The bullets pierced the windshield, narrowly missing the Deputy Chief Investigator of Tak Provincial Police and other officers inside.

The fleeing suspect was later identified as Khanti. Special operations units from Phitsanulok and Uthai Thani, alongside more than 50 armed officers, combed the sugarcane fields in Ban Rai district, Uthai Thani province, searching for Khanti. Locals reported that he had borrowed a phone from a shopkeeper and was last seen near a pond, where footprints were found, but Khanti remained at large, reported KhaoSod.

Police have since obtained an arrest warrant from the Uthai Thani Provincial Court for Khanti, charging him with resisting arrest, attempted murder of an officer, and violations under the Firearms Act. Meanwhile, Thanet, Jirawat, and Adit face charges of possessing and trafficking Category 1 narcotics (methamphetamine, heroin) and Category 2 controlled substances (ketamine).