Assistant village chief busted with 3.8 million meth pills
An assistant village chief has been arrested in Mae Chan district of Chiang Rai for alleged drug trafficking after Chiang Rai police seized 3.8 million meth pills and 1 kilogramme of ketamine. The commander of the Chiang Rai Provincial Police announced the drug bust yesterday.
The 45 year old assistant Ban Pha Bue village chief in Mae Fa Luang district was caught with the nearly 4 million meth pills and big stash of ketamine after police received a tip-off. After receiving word that a large shipment of meth pills was expected to arrive at Phahon Yothin Road from Mae Fa Luang district that sits on the Thai-Burmese border, police investigated further and found the man.
Police set up checkpoints along the route before sighting a suspicious mini-caravan of 2 pickup trucks and a motorcycle. The trucks and motorbike were stopped in tambon Mae Rai on the local village road.
Two drivers – the motorcyclist and one pickup truck driver – fled after being stopped and managed to escape arrest. The remaining pickup truck was searched, uncovering not only the millions of meth pills and ketamine stash but also a 9mm pistol as well as ATM cards and mobile phone banking records.
The meth pills the assistant village chief was transporting have been linked to a drug trafficking ring that is based just on the other side of the Burmese border in Ban Pha Khao. The town is just across the border from Mae Fah Luang district in Thailand.
The assistant village chief has now been charged with illegally possessing narcotics with intent to sell as well as charges of carrying a gun in public without permission.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
