Burmese military seize drugs and equipment valued at 2.02 billion baht north of Chiang Rai

The Burmese military raided a methamphetamine pill factory and warehouses in Shan State, about 400 kilometres north of Chiang Rai province in Thailand’s northeast. Soldiers seized a vast quantity of drugs, precursor chemicals and drug-making equipment worth an estimated 2.02 billion baht. A spokesman for the Burmese military said that its soldiers conducted raids on plants in Kaungkha Village in Shan State and Kutkai Township, between February 28 and March 3. Kutkai is near the Myanmar-China border, north/northwest of Chiang Rai province.

During raids on the plant and warehouses, authorites found about 44 million meth pills, 129 kilograms of heroin, 15 kilograms of pseudoephedrine pills and hundreds of barrels of acid, and other chemicals and precursors. They also found pill production machines.

Military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun told reporters:

“That area is a border area where various armed groups are active, including people’s militias, so it is difficult to say who those drugs belong to.”

“We will also keep implementing security measures in the surrounding areas.”

Zaw also told media that some of the drugs and precursors to make meth pills were buried.

On Feb 25th, Burmese authorities seized large amount of crystal meth and meth pills in Shan state’s Tachileik. Acting on a tip, police seized 9 kilograms of crystal meth from separate cars and arrested three suspects in Tachileik township, and seized a total of 202,000 meth pills in Minekok Township, also in Shan State.

Last June, the Burmese military seized tens of thousands meth pills and precursor chemicals in Tachileik.

In a possibly related development, two Chinese suspects were yesterday arrested in Tachileik for a grisly double murder in Pattaya.

SOURCE: Chiang Rai Times