One of the most significant drug busts in recent times took place in the Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai province, Thailand, when government border forces confiscated a hefty load of 225 kilogrammes of the highly addictive drug known as crystal methamphetamine, or ‘ice’, as reported by local law enforcement. The significant seizure happened late on a recent Saturday night in the aftermath of a fierce encounter with suspected drug couriers.
The incident commenced around half past midnight when a patrol from the 4th Company of a cavalry battalion under the Pha Muang Force encountered a suspicious group of around 10 individuals at Ban Padaeng, the fifth administrative division or Moo 5 village in the tambon Ko Chang region of Mae Sai district. The law enforcement officials initiated a stop for a possible search, which was met with gunshots from the group, resulting in a heated firefight that lasted approximately five minutes. It resulted in a tense standoff between the two factions.
In response to the unexpected confrontation, the government patrol called for reinforcements, with two additional teams arriving to maintain control of the situation. As dawn broke, the teams began to comb through the area and came across nine unattended bags dispersed throughout the location. These bags held the substantial haul of 225kg of crystal methamphetamine.
The confiscated drugs were promptly transferred to the Ko Chang police station for the necessary legal follow-ups. This sizable seizure was a tremendous victory against the illicit drug trade in the region.
Simultaneously, in a separate law enforcement slap to the country’s narcotics trade, the police chief of Hat Yai in the southern province of Songkhla, Pol Caol Phum Banthip, presided over a press conference announcing the capture of 272 bars of heroin weighing about 100kg. The drug haul was intercepted on September 16 when an Isuzu pickup, loaded with seven bags of heroin, attempted to bypass a police checkpoint at the Khuan Lang intersection in Hat Yai district. As the driver made a hasty escape, local law enforcement launched into a pursuit that ended at a petrol station in Na Mom district, approximately 10 kilometers distant.
The vehicle’s search revealed the massive stash of heroin, along with the driver, 35-year-old Buraheng Samo, a resident of Pattani. Further investigations led to the capture of Abdulfata Awae, also a resident of Pattani, who was allegedly operating a lookout vehicle for the operation. The perpetrators confessed that Rohaiya Che-ha, a woman from the district of Sungai Kolok in Narathiwat, had employed them to transport the heroin from Phetchaburi to Sungai Kolok, with plans to further smuggle the drug across the Malay border. Rounding up the sweeping operation, police apprehended Rohaiya Che-ha at a Sungai Kolok residence and confiscated six vehicles suspected of being purchased with drug money. The three suspects were charged with possessing and intending to sell heroin, a Category 1 narcotic.
These events mark significant victories in Thailand’s ongoing battle against drug trafficking and underline its commitment to creating a safer society.
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