Dramatic chase ends with three arrested and two million meth pills seized in border crackdown

Three alleged drug traffickers were arrested with two million meth pills in a dramatic chase on the Thai border.

The trio, identified as Sutthirat Daengsakul, Aphisit Seephrai, and Thanakorn Khuednok, were reportedly moving drugs through the Mekong River in Nong Khai when they were intercepted by cops on June 9.

Footage shows Mekong Riverine Unit officers chasing the suspects as they emerged from a black pickup truck to escape on foot through the riverside area.

Police sprinted after the fleeing men, tackling them to the muddy ground. One was heard sobbing as the officers pinned him face-down in the mud and placed him in handcuffs.

Two small trucks believed to have been used in the operation were also seized.

Navy spokesman Rear Admiral Parach Rattanachaiyaphan said the suspects and all seized evidence were handed over to investigators for further legal proceedings.

He added: ‘The Mekong Riverine Unit will continue to strictly enforce surveillance and interception measures against the smuggling of narcotics and illegal goods along the entire Mekong River border to prevent impacts on national security and public safety.

‘The unit will also continue to integrate its operations with security agencies and law enforcement organisations.'

Thailand has become a notorious hub for drug production and trafficking. In the north of the country, the ‘Golden Triangle' area shares borders with Laos and Myanmar, and has produced large amounts of opium since the 1950s, but focus in recent years has shifted to the more profitable methamphetamine.

Officials believe most of the meth is produced in the Shan State of Myanmar before being distributed through neighbouring countries where prices are higher before ending up in the most expensive markets of Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore.

However, cracking down on drug production has been complicated by the influx of crime gangs from China and the Burmese civil war, which has seen the army take over the country - along with control of lucrative drugs chains.