Police seize two tonnes of meth and ketamine hidden in asphalt tanker truck
Police seized two tonnes of methamphetamine and ketamine hidden inside an asphalt tanker truck in northern Thailand.
Officers blocked the major drug shipment as it was being transported to Bangkok in a specially modified vehicle designed to conceal the narcotics.
Investigators said on May 31 that they had been monitoring a cross-border drug trafficking network and discovered a plan to move illegal drugs from the northern region towards the capital city.
Surveillance teams tracked the convoy through Don Thong subdistrict in Phitsanulok before stopping the tanker truck for a search.
They seized 3,703 pounds (1,680 kilogrammes) of methamphetamine and around 110 pounds (50 kilogrammes) of ketamine along with the asphalt tanker truck.
Police Lieutenant General Sayam Boonsom, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said the operation was linked to a large trafficking syndicate backed by foreign financiers that used a modified asphalt tanker truck to conceal and transport the drugs.
He said: 'Two to three cars acted as lookouts and followed the convoy to avoid checkpoints. The drugs were stored in a warehouse in Saraburi Province before being distributed to Bangkok and its surrounding areas.'
Three suspects were arrested, including alleged trafficking leader Phongsak, a former trucking business operator who claimed he turned to drug smuggling due to financial struggles.
The trio said they have completed five drug runs previously, receiving two million baht per trip before being arrested. They were charged with jointly distributing category 1 narcotics and distributing category 2 psychotropic substances.
Authorities said the network consisted of around 10 accomplices and has been operating since December 2025.
Officers said they are now working to identify additional suspects and seize assets linked to the gang.
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.
