Thai security forces have seized nearly 5 million methamphetamine pills following a violent shootout with drug traffickers in Chiang Rai’s Mae Fa Luang district. The late-night confrontation near Pang Mahan village left two suspects dead, with more bodies later discovered along the traffickers’ escape route.
Soldiers from the Pha Muang Task Force spotted a group of 15 to 20 individuals crossing the Thai-Myanmar border. When challenged, the group opened fire, prompting a gunfight. Several large sacks were found abandoned at the scene.
Maj. Gen. Kidakorn Jantra, commander of the task force, ordered further inspection the next morning. An initial sweep uncovered 17 sacks, each carrying around 200,000 pills. Continued patrols found four more sacks, some containing up to 300,000 pills each, totaling an estimated 4.8 to 5 million pills.
The border region is a known trafficking hotspot, especially near Ban Mae Jok, reportedly under the influence of the Musoe group led by Ja Ngoi. The area connects to southern Wa-controlled drug zones in Myanmar.
Officials say the area is under constant surveillance, as multiple clashes have occurred this month alone. On June 13, four traffickers were killed in Fang District, Chiang Mai, with 400,000 meth pills, 500g of heroin, and a homemade shotgun seized. On June 20, two more suspects died in a similar clash, with another 400,000 pills confiscated.
Altogether, eight traffickers have been killed in June, highlighting the intensity of cross-border drug smuggling and the Thai military’s ongoing crackdown.
