Thai police seize 400,000 meth pills, capture Laotian suspect
Police from Chanuman Police Station pursued a drug trafficking gang smuggling methamphetamine into Thailand, successfully arresting one Laotian suspect and seizing 400,000 pills. Two other suspects escaped by boat on February 23.
Police Lieutenant Komsan Kamwan reported the arrest following a tip-off about drug smuggling at Ban Si Sombun, Chanuman district, Amnat Charoen province. The operation took place in the early morning when suspects planned to transport the drugs. Police were briefed, and security forces were deployed near the suspected smuggling point.
From 5am to 8am, a long-tail boat with an engine approached from Laos. As it neared the Thai shore, the driver cut the engine, allowing the boat to drift. Two men on board carried fertiliser sacks ashore while the boat driver remained onboard.
The men walked along a path used by locals, passing through sugarcane fields towards the Si Sombun–Na Sida road, intending to hide the methamphetamine in the roadside bushes. Police revealed themselves to arrest the suspects, who discarded the sacks upon seeing the officers.
Upon inspection, the sacks contained 200 bundles, approximately 400,000 methamphetamine tablets. One suspect fired a gun at the officers to facilitate their escape, fleeing towards the Mekong Riverbank where the boat was anchored, and both he and the boat driver managed to escape.
Police pursued and captured one suspect, identified as Laotian citizen Thao Noi, who has no surname. The suspect and 400,000 methamphetamine pills were taken for further questioning, reported KhaoSod.
Charges include resisting arrest, illegal drug importation, drug trafficking, drug consumption, and illegal entry into Thailand. The suspect was handed over to Chanuman Police Station investigators for legal proceedings.
In similar news, border patrol officers seized over 700 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine following a clash with a smuggling gang, who abandoned their vehicle and fled. The increased drug flow has prompted heightened police vigilance as the price of crystal meth dropped significantly to 10,000 baht per kilogramme.
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