Police in Chiang Rai have arrested two Shan hilltribe men accused of transporting more than eight million methamphetamine pills along the Mekong border, following an attempted escape and late-night pursuit in the Golden Triangle region.
The arrests were carried out by investigators from the Chiang Saen Police Station, acting on intelligence that a major drug trafficking network planned to move a large shipment through border roads connecting Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar. The area, known for its rugged terrain and river crossings, is frequently used as a transit route for narcotics smuggled from neighbouring countries.
On Friday night, Pol Maj Gen Manop Senakun, Chiang Rai Provincial Police Commander, and Pol Col Anuphan Kantharat, Superintendent of Chiang Saen Police Station, ordered a patrol team to monitor routes near the Mekong and Ruak rivers. At about 9:10 p.m., officers spotted a grey Mitsubishi Pajero with Chiang Mai license plates on Highway 1090, matching the description of a vehicle flagged in their intelligence reports.
When officers signalled the driver to stop for inspection, the vehicle sped past the Golden Triangle public service point near Ban Sop Ruak in Wiang subdistrict. Police pursued the SUV until they found it abandoned on the roadside. Inside were two suspects: Mr. Saengtui, 30, and Mr. Chai, 47, both Shan men living in the Wiang area.
As officers approached, the pair suddenly fled. Mr. Chai was arrested almost immediately, but Mr. Saengtui escaped into the darkness, prompting a wider search. Meanwhile, investigators inspected the abandoned SUV and found that the seats had been removed to make room for cargo. Inside the vehicle were 32 straw sacks stacked tightly together.
When officers opened the sacks, they discovered approximately 250,000 methamphetamine tablets in each, totalling an estimated 8,110,000 pills. The seizure marks one of the largest hauls intercepted in the area this year.
Additional police units fanned out through nearby villages and rural tracks, and at around 1:40 a.m. on November 28, officers successfully located and arrested Mr. Saengtui. Both suspects, along with the SUV and the massive drug haul, were taken to Chiang Saen Police Station and placed under the responsibility of Pol Lt Col Mongkol Sutenan, Deputy Inspector for Investigation.
During preliminary questioning, one suspect reportedly confessed that a Myanmar national known only as “Mr. Hong” had hired them to transport the drugs. The pair said they collected the SUV at a Bangchak petrol station in Ban Ku Tao, Yonok subdistrict, before driving to Ban Wang Lao, where the straw sacks filled with meth pills were loaded into the vehicle. They were instructed to deliver the shipment to another recipient but claimed they had not yet been told the final destination when police intercepted them.
Authorities are now expanding the investigation to identify additional members of the trafficking network and determine the extent of cross-border involvement. The suspects face multiple charges related to narcotics possession, trafficking, and evading law enforcement.
