Thai authorities seize one million meth pills near Chiang Rai Airport

Authorities intercepted a major drug bust involving one million methamphetamine pills in the parking lot of a well-known shopping mall near Chiang Rai Airport. The suspects, a man and a woman, were caught preparing to transport the drugs into the interior of the country.

Colonel Kidakorn Chantra, Deputy Commander of the Pha Muang Task Force, examined the seized drugs and interrogated the two suspects. The duo, 24 year old Wuttichai and 23 year old Supattra, were apprehended with the contraband around 12.30am yesterday.

The operation was a coordinated effort involving multiple agencies, including the Police Narcotics Suppression Bureau Division 2, the Northern Border Chemical and Precursor Suppression Command Unit, Task Force Chao Taksin, and the Ban Du Police Station. Officers had gathered intelligence indicating that a drug trafficking network planned to transport a large quantity of methamphetamine from the Thai-Myanmar border in Mae Fa Luang District, Chiang Rai Province, to the urban area of Chiang Rai.

Authorities began their investigation and tracked a black Honda sedan with Nakhon Pathom license plates. The car was observed driving from the border area in Mae Fa Luang along Phahonyothin Road towards Mueang District, Chiang Rai. The vehicle eventually turned into the parking lot of a shopping mall in Ban Du, Mueang District, where officers moved in for the arrest.

Upon inspection, officers found Wuttichai and Supattra inside the car. A search of the vehicle’s trunk revealed five large sacks, each containing approximately 200,000 methamphetamine pills, totalling one million pills. Initially, authorities suspected the duo were waiting to hand over the drugs to another party for further distribution into the country’s interior.

“We were able to act swiftly thanks to the collaborative effort of multiple enforcement agencies and timely intelligence. This is a significant seizure that will help curb the distribution of narcotics in the region.”

Authorities arrested both suspects and will continue to investigate to identify and apprehend other individuals involved in the drug trafficking network, reported KhaoSod.

The suspects will face legal proceedings as the investigation progresses.

“This is just one of many steps we are taking to address the issue of drug trafficking in our region. We remain vigilant and committed to protecting our communities from the dangers of narcotics.”