Authorities intercepted a major shipment of more than 4.8 million pills in Chiang Saen district, near the Golden Triangle, late on Thursday night, police said. A smuggler managed to evade arrest by abandoning his vehicle and fleeing across the Mekong River.
Pol Col Anuphan Kantharat, chief of Chiang Saen police, and senior officials and officers from the Pha Muang Task Force, Border Patrol Police Company 327, marine police and concerned agencies on Friday inspected the seized drugs and a pickup truck registered in Chiang Rai that was used for drug smuggling.
The drug seizure followed a tip-off late on Thursday that a large shipment of drugs would be transported from Myanmar into Chiang Saen district. A joint task force was immediately set up to intercept a suspected vehicle.
Officers later spotted a grey Nissan pickup truck without a rear licence plate leaving a local hotel, heavily loaded and heading towards the Golden Triangle area in Sop Ruak village Moo 1 in tambon Wiang of Chiang Saen district.
When the driver encountered a checkpoint at the Golden Triangle service point, he accelerated and broke through the barrier.
However, the vehicle’s tire burst shortly afterwards, causing it to veer off and come to a stop in a parking area near Si Phandin market along the Mekong River. Police said they saw a tall, thin man exit the vehicle and flee toward the riverbank, where he jumped into the Mekong and escaped.
Upon inspection, the arresting team found 13 fertiliser sacks in the bed of the pickup truck and six sacks in the passenger seats. The sacks contained more than 4.8 million speed pills, weighing about 536 kilogrammes.
The seized narcotics were handed over to Chiang Saen police station for further legal proceedings.
Authorities are now expanding the investigation to identify and apprehend individuals connected to the smuggling operation.