Contractor held with 291kg of ice in Bangkok

Bangkok police have arrested a 38-year-old construction contractor after finding 291 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, known locally as ice, in his pickup truck at a petrol station in Taling Chan.

Police said Samrit Taeng-on, from Bang Lamung district in Chon Buri, admitted he had been hired by a Myanmar national to transport drugs from Chon Buri to southern Thailand. He was arrested on 30 September at a Shell station on Kanchanaphisek Road in Bang Ramat, Taling Chan.

Tip-off led police to Taling Chan station

Metropolitan Police Bureau officers launched the operation after receiving information from an informant that a large shipment of narcotics was being moved from Bangkok to the South.

The operation was ordered by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Pol Lt Gen Siam Boonsom and his deputy, Pol Maj Gen Theeradej Thamsuthee. Pol Maj Gen Chotiwat Luangwilai, chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau's Investigation Division, led officers alongside his deputy Pol Col Ritthee Pandam.

Also involved were Pol Col Wichit Thirakachornwong, superintendent of Investigation Division 1, and Pol Col Jakraphan Osotkan, superintendent of Investigation Division 2.

Officers found a white Toyota Revo pickup truck with Phayao registration plates parked at the Shell station. Samrit was identified as its driver.

A search of the truck's rear bed uncovered eight cardboard boxes containing a combined 291kg of ice. Police also seized a 9mm handgun, ammunition and two mobile phones.

Alleged payments of 100,000 baht per run

During questioning, Samrit allegedly told investigators that he worked as a construction contractor and had been instructed by a Myanmar man known only as Sam to take the drugs from Chon Buri to southern Thailand.

He said he had completed two previous deliveries and was paid 100,000 baht for each trip, police said. The latest journey was to have been his third, and he had received 20,000 baht before his arrest.

He has initially been charged with selling a Category 1 narcotic for commercial purposes and carrying an unlicensed firearm. Police said he had been handed over for legal proceedings while investigators continue efforts to identify those who organised the alleged trafficking operation.

Pictures courtesy of Daily News

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1 October 2026