Massive drug bust nets over 15 million meth pills and 280 kg of 'ice' in northern Thailand
Police seized more than 15 million methamphetamine pills and 254 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine in a massive drug bust in northern Thailand.
Officers arrested seven suspects and confiscated seven vehicles in five separate raids that yielded the staggering illegal haul in the region.
Authorities said traffickers had begun shifting smuggling routes away from the usual border corridors and into western Chiang Mai to avoid detection, but police intercepted every shipment.
The five raids were carried out in a weeklong crackdown between May 24 and May 31.
The first bust came on May 24 in Chiang Rai, where officers found 280 kg of ice abandoned in a pickup truck after the driver fled into nearby forest.
On May 30, police intercepted 5.8 million meth pills at the Mae Tho checkpoint and arrested three suspects.
A day later, officers seized 3.3 million meth pills from an SUV on the Chiang Mai–Phrao road and arrested two men. Investigators also recovered 1.54 million meth pills hidden in 16 backpacks after tracking a suspected drug running vehicle to Chiang Mai city.
The largest haul was in Chiang Mai's Kalayanawatana district, where a suspected smuggling pickup crashed during a police operation, killing the driver. Officers recovered more than five million meth pills from the wreckage, marking the biggest seizure ever recorded in the district.
Police Lieutenant General Kritthaphol Yisakhon, Commander of Police Region 5, announced the results of the drug bust in a press conference on June 2.
He said: 'Although drug trafficking networks constantly adapt their methods and smuggling routes, police continue to monitor intelligence and implement strict interception measures. We are also working to identify the masterminds, financiers and all related networks in order to systematically dismantle the drug trafficking network.'
The Provincial Police Region 5 said that from October 1 last year to June 1, officers handled more than 20,230 narcotics cases, including 247 major cases.
More than 360 million methamphetamine pills, 15,542 pounds (7,050 kilogrammes) of crystal methamphetamine, 172 pounds (78 kilogrammes) of heroin, 1,408 pounds (639 kilogrammes) of ketamine, and 615 pounds (279 kilogrammes) of opium were seized.
Police also confiscated drug-related assets valued at more than 837 million baht in total.
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.
