NONG KHAI, Thailand
In a major blow to regional drug trafficking networks, Thai authorities seized more than 5.4 million methamphetamine pills in Nong Khai Province as part of the ongoing “Seal Stop Safe” anti-narcotics campaign.
The high-stakes operation was led by Lieutenant General Boonsin Padklang, Commander of Thailand’s 2nd Army Region, and executed by the Surasakmontri Task Force, with the support of associated task forces and intelligence units.
Tip-off Leads to High-Speed Pursuit
Authorities received a tip that a suspicious vehicle had picked up a narcotics shipment in Pak Chom District of Loei Province. The suspect vehicle, described as a silver Mitsubishi pickup truck with Chonburi license plates, was later identified traveling along Route 211 toward Sangkhom District, Nong Khai.
An attempt to intercept the vehicle was made near a PT gas station in Ban Muang Sub-district, but the driver accelerated and tried to flee. The chase ended when the vehicle lost control and veered off the road near Tat Soem Village, still within Ban Muang.
Discovery of Drug Shipment
Upon inspection of the abandoned pickup, officers uncovered 13 black sacks in the truck bed. Inside were an estimated 5.48 million methamphetamine pills, packaged for illicit distribution.
The driver was apprehended at the scene and identified as Thao Vanpeng Wongphetkaew, a 25-year-old Laotian national from Vientiane, Laos.
Cross-Border Smuggling Plot Uncovered
During interrogation, Wongphetkaew confessed to smuggling the drugs across the border for delivery to a Thai national who was reportedly waiting to distribute the narcotics inside Thailand. Authorities believe the drugs were destined for the domestic market or possibly onward shipment.
Wongphetkaew and the seized drugs have been transferred to Na Ngio Police Station in Sangkhom District for further legal proceedings.
Anti-Drug Campaign Intensifies
This seizure is one of the largest under Thailand’s “Seal Stop Safe” campaign, which aims to suppress transnational drug trafficking, particularly along the porous borders with Laos and Myanmar. The campaign includes joint operations between the military, police, and border patrol units.
Authorities reaffirmed their commitment to dismantling drug trafficking networks and have vowed to intensify efforts along known smuggling routes.
