Thai military foils Harley-Davidson smuggling across Mekong River
Thai military rangers intercepted an attempt to smuggle a Harley-Davidson motorcycle across the Mekong River to a neighbouring country. The operation, which occurred at night, resulted in the arrest of a 24 year old Laotian man and the seizure of the motorcycle.
Colonel Intrawut Thongkham, commander of the 21st Ranger Task Force, reported yesterday that intelligence was received on Thursday, February 6, regarding a plan to smuggle motorcycles across the border in Na Si Nuan subdistrict, Mueang district, Mukdahan province. Lieutenant Colonel Kamron Khumkhet, commander of the 2105th Ranger Company, was instructed to deploy a surveillance team to monitor and ambush the suspects at likely crossing points.
At 7.50pm, the surveillance team, utilising night vision equipment, spotted two motorised boats approaching from Laos towards Thailand. As the boats reached the riverbank near Ban Sompoi, Village 2, Na Si Nuan subdistrict, approximately three to four individuals disembarked and waited by the river.
At around 8.30pm, a group of four to five men brought motorcycles to the location where the boats were docked. The nearby ambush team revealed themselves and signalled for a search. Upon noticing the officials, the men abandoned the motorcycles and fled into the darkness. One of the boats immediately returned to Laos. The officers managed to apprehend a 24 year old man of Laotian nationality.
An inspection of the motorcycle revealed it to be a Harley-Davidson Sportster S Revolution Max 1250 T, valued at approximately 709,000 baht. The suspect, along with the confiscated motorcycle, was handed over to the investigators at Mueang Mukdahan Police Station for further legal proceedings, reported KhaoSod.
In similar news, a well-known Harley-Davidson parts dealer was found dead inside his car at the Phra Khanong transport office, with police suspecting a pre-existing medical condition as the cause.
The incident occurred on January 24, when the 51 year old businessman, known as Tom, was discovered unresponsive in the driver’s seat of his bronze-gold Volvo V70XO. There were no visible injuries, and police believe his death was not the result of foul play.
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