Thai drug lord extradited after fleeing with 7.9 million meth pills
Cross-border pursuit ends as police close in on meth trafficking network
A major drug dealer from Sakon Nakhon has been extradited to Thailand after being apprehended in Laos, where he had fled following the seizure of 7.9 million methamphetamine pills.
The suspect had evaded capture for three years before being returned yesterday, June 4, at 1.30pm via the Third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge border checkpoint in Nakhon Phanom province.
The return of 37 year old Piyanant from Wanorn Niwas district was overseen by officials including Police Lieutenant General Panurat Lakboon, Secretary General of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), and other key figures in drug enforcement. Piyanant, a significant figure in the drug trade, had been living in Laos to escape arrest warrants issued in Thailand.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Panurat explained that Piyanant had been under surveillance by the ONCB since 2022. He was known to facilitate coordination between Thai and Lao drug networks, using Laos as a conduit for smuggling drugs into Thailand.
The ONCB, alongside the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, secured an arrest warrant charging Piyanant with the distribution of category 1 narcotics, specifically methamphetamine, for commercial purposes and causing public harm.
Piyanant was implicated in a drug case on May 2, 2022, when police seized 7,970,000 methamphetamine pills on Highway 226, connecting Buriram and Nakhon Ratchasima. The drugs were discovered in the vicinity of Ban Nong Nok Kwak in Chakkarat district, Nakhon Ratchasima province.
His arrest is part of a broader crackdown on a major northeastern drug network, where he played a key role, controlling 5% to 10% of the methamphetamine market.
After fleeing to Laos, Piyanant became a prominent coordinator in international drug trafficking, responsible for smuggling significant quantities of methamphetamine into Thailand.
His capture involved cooperation with Laos officials, as he was one of the 21 fugitives on Thailand’s list of major drug offenders for 2025, which was discussed at the 20th Thai-Lao ministerial meeting on drug prevention and suppression cooperation held from December 23 to December 26 last year in Vientiane, Laos.
Panurat noted that Piyanant’s arrest is expected to reduce methamphetamine smuggling into northeastern Thailand by 5% to 10%. The ONCB continues to investigate and pursue other members of Piyanant’s network to dismantle this international drug trafficking operation completely, reported KhaoSod.
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