Covert Drug Operation Turns Violent: 15 Dead, 2 Million Pills Seized

[webfact]

 

In a daring drug trafficking operation along the border, a small army confronted military forces, resulting in 15 fatalities and the confiscation of over 2 million narcotics pills. The incident unfolded as the third-in-command of the Royal Thai Army, Lieutenant General Prapath Sawan, joined forces with special units in a nighttime mission to counter drug-related activities.

 

On December 17, reports surfaced that a rapid deployment task force, along with the 1st Cavalry Regiment, encountered a suspicious group of around 20 individuals carrying backpacks near the border, reported Daily News.

 

When authorities approached for inspection, the group, armed with unidentified firearms, opened fire, leading to a 5-minute confrontation. Fortunately, the military emerged unscathed, prompting the deployment of two additional task forces to secure the area for further investigation.

 

Picture: Daily News

 

Today, Lieutenant General Prapath Sawan led three more task forces to inspect the scene. Their findings revealed a clandestine drug trafficking operation resulting in 15 casualties and the modification of fertilizer bags into backpacks, concealing 2,040,000 pills of Type 1 narcotics (methamphetamine). The area of the incident, located in the dense mountainous forest, poses a significant challenge for military personnel, but efforts to block these illicit activities at the border remain a top priority.

 

Lieutenant General Prapath Sawan emphasized the gravity of the situation, citing an intensified effort to prevent the infiltration of such threats across the country's borders. He highlighted a sixfold increase in border seizures during the last two months of 2022, with two clashes in October resulting in one fatality and five in November with four fatalities.

 

The latest incident, occurring in mid-December, adds two more clashes to the record, bringing the total pills seized to 2,040,000 from 17 backpacks, along with one confiscated firearm, approximately 400 meters away from the border.

 

Top: Picture: Daily News

 

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[webfact]

Thirteen drug traffickers killed in Myanmar border operation
by Mitch Connor

 

Photo taken from กองทัพบก Royal Thai Army Facebook page

In a dramatic turn of events, a drug suppression operation near the Myanmar border in Mae Fa Luang district, Chiang Rai, resulted in the death of thirteen drug traffickers on Saturday night. Pha Muang Task Force commander, Praphat Phobsuwan made the statement yesterday.

The operation, executed by the Pha Muang Task Force’s Thap Chao Tak unit, took place at Pang Ma Han village in tambon Therd Thai. It led to the confiscation of approximately 1.7 million methamphetamine pills.

 

Upon inspecting the scene, soldiers and supervisors discovered the remains of thirteen individuals, along with seventeen sacks stuffed with roughly 1.7 million speed pills. The confrontation began at 7pm on Saturday when the soldiers, noticing a group of men traversing a forest, decided to conduct a search. The men retaliated with gunfire, which led to the soldiers returning fire.

 

The location was surveyed the following morning, revealing the bodies and the sacks filled with methamphetamine pills. Each sack held about 100,000 meth pills. According to Praphat, the surrounding area will also be inspected for additional evidence, Reported Bangkok Post.

 

Full story: The Thaiger 2023-12-18

 

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[Geoffggi]

R.I.P. to the people who lost their lives but good news to get this junk off the streets

[JoePai]

1 hour ago, Geoffggi said:

R.I.P. to the people who lost their lives but good news to get this junk off the streets

Screw the traffickers who lost their lives - that is excellent news

[JeffersLos]

Brave Thai soldiers. 

 

1 hour ago, Geoffggi said:

good news to get this junk off the streets

 

For at least one week until it's been documented, published, then redistributed 

[NicoBKK]

2 hours ago, Geoffggi said:

R.I.P. to the people who lost their lives but good news to get this junk off the streets

nope, enjoy hell

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The area of the incident, located in the dense mountainous forest, poses a significant challenge for military personnel, but efforts to block these illicit activities at the border remain a top priority.

An inexpensive drone with an infrared [thermal imaging camera] with live feed would be an option.

[twizzian]

Always enjoy reading happy news outcomes.

Send them all back in a garbage truck.

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, Geoffggi said:

R.I.P. to the people who lost their lives but good news to get this junk off the streets

If it remains off the streets ?

[HK MacPhooey]

2 minutes ago, NicoBKK said:

nope, enjoy hell

Isn't the concept of RIP and hell Christian concepts whereas the drug traffickers were probably Buddhist   

[TheFishman1]

So now will the police in the army distribute the pills?TIT

[ThaiFelix]

2 million pills is a small shipment nowdays, Id say it was a diversion to keep the army busy while 10 million or so went a different route.  Looks as though the army was informed beforehand and ambushed the diversionary shipment hence no casualties and they came out the heros.

[arithai12]

1 hour ago, JoePai said:

Screw the traffickers who lost their lives - that is excellent news

One would say so at first glance, however the situation is more complex. First, the real traffickers, those getting rich with this business, remain untouched and will continue to pour drugs into Thailand. Second, those killed were just mules earning probably a pittance to support their families. There will be now dozens of fatherless kids who might have no better choice in life than to follow in their footsteps. Finally, the real source of the problem are the users, the addicts, and this does nothing for them.

So yes, good news that the drugs have been confiscated, however it still makes me sad that there are no better ways to tackle the real problem. I have high respect for the Royal Projects in Thailand which were instituted to create jobs in the North to replace drug-related income. Myanmar has a long way to go.

[Burma Bill]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

located in the dense mountainous forest, poses a significant challenge for military personnel,

 

Once released, bring in Mister Thaksin - it is his "home territory"!

[Card]

3 hours ago, Geoffggi said:

R.I.P. to the people who lost their lives but good news to get this junk off the streets

No doubt the result of a shoot to kill policy. A few bullets is much cheaper than a trial and imprisonment.

[Clarkey611]

Isn't Thaksin back?

[Mangkhut]

Kill a few traffickers wont matter much as long as…..

There is a demand for such drugs - there will always be someone making/producing such drugs and then traffickers to distribute the drugs….

[Irish star]

1 hour ago, ThaiFelix said:

2 million pills is a small shipment nowdays, Id say it was a diversion to keep the army busy while 10 million or so went a different route.  Looks as though the army was informed beforehand and ambushed the diversionary shipment hence no casualties and they came out the heros.

 

1 hour ago, ThaiFelix said:

2 million pills is a small shipment nowdays, Id say it was a diversion to keep the army busy while 10 million or so went a different route.  Looks as though the army was informed beforehand and ambushed the diversionary shipment hence no casualties and they came out the heros.

15 dead I don’t think so , would of been a smaller crew 

[Muhendis]

On a mountain in the forest.

Another fine photo op.

Well done lads

[BKKBike09]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

The latest incident, occurring in mid-December, adds two more clashes to the record, bringing the total pills seized to 2,040,000 from 17 backpacks, along with one confiscated firearm, approximately 400 meters away from the border.

 

Were the 15 hapless traffickers taking it in turns to shoot?

[V8M8]

3 hours ago, HK MacPhooey said:

Isn't the concept of RIP and hell Christian concepts whereas the drug traffickers were probably Buddhist   

Karma.

[Iron Tongue]

15 dead and only one firearm found...

Must've been some battle that Thai regiment fought against this drug army.  

[off road pat]

2 hours ago, ThaiFelix said:

2 million pills is a small shipment nowdays, Id say it was a diversion to keep the army busy while 10 million or so went a different route.  Looks as though the army was informed beforehand and ambushed the diversionary shipment hence no casualties and they came out the heros.

.."When authorities approached for inspection, the group, armed with unidentified firearms, opened fire, leading to a 5-minute confrontation. Fortunately, the military emerged unscathed" ......"the military emerged unscathed" !?!?  Yes, Indeed it looks like a ambush !!

[Jonathan Swift]

6 hours ago, Geoffggi said:

R.I.P. to the people who lost their lives but good news to get this junk off the streets

"people" who "lost" their lives? These were the worst of the worst violent dregs of society. Trafficking in human misery and suffering. They weren't selling joints on a street corner. They opened fire first, that's literally attempted murder. How many other people do you think these people may have murdered in the course of their daily business? They were justifiably shot dead as they attempted more murder. Their lives weren't "lost", they were put down like the animals they were, and they deserve no rest, no peace, but an eternity of burning in heII

[off road pat]

2 hours ago, Card said:

No doubt the result of a shoot to kill policy. A few bullets is much cheaper than a trial and imprisonment.

You are on the right track,....except,... "A few bullets is much Better than the truth coming out about the destination of those pills,...Imagine the buyer been in collusion with some Police / Military and taking care of business in a way that he don't have to pay for the goods,...!?,...it's just a wild theory,...but T.I.T.

[off road pat]

3 minutes ago, Jonathan Swift said:

"people" who "lost" their lives? These were the worst of the worst violent dregs of society. Trafficking in human misery and suffering. They weren't selling joints on a street corner. They opened fire first, that's literally attempted murder. How many other people do you think these people may have murdered in the course of their daily business? They were justifiably shot dead as they attempted more murder. Their lives weren't "lost", they were put down like the animals they were, and they deserve no rest, no peace, but an eternity of burning in heII

Hm,..Imagine, poor people been paid to transport some bags without knowing the content of those bags,...!?

And by the way,..there was only one gun found !?!? a shoot out ??? and 15 death on one side ??? and no casualties on the other ??? yeah sure !!!

[off road pat]

R.I.P. to those poor guys,...they probably were set up to make the RTP look good !!! and the recipient of the goods not having to pay for them.

[Cabradelmar]

Just more extra judicial killings of the marginalized poor, working for wealthy drug lords that remain touchable. Anyone who thinks for a minute that this will result in fewer drugs on the street is deluded.

[KhunLA]

Oh well, live by the sword, die by the sword.  As stated earlier, deal in misery & death, and Karma has a way of catching up to you ... thankfully.

 

Live & Die By Your Choices

[geisha]

43 minutes ago, Jonathan Swift said:

"people" who "lost" their lives? These were the worst of the worst violent dregs of society. Trafficking in human misery and suffering. They weren't selling joints on a street corner. They opened fire first, that's literally attempted murder. How many other people do you think these people may have murdered in the course of their daily business? They were justifiably shot dead as they attempted more murder. Their lives weren't "lost", they were put down like the animals they were, and they deserve no rest, no peace, but an eternity of burning in heII

These are “mules” , poor mountain folk trying to exist in secluded places where there isn’t much choice. It’s extreme poverty that brings this about the world over, South America, Mexico, Asia.  You’ve never traveled to these mountainous areas and seen how they live ? Much better to go after the drug barons and their factories , government cooperation is needed between countries . 2 million pills seized ? Another 20 million will get through. In South America etc the barons have their own helicopters , ships , planes and even submarine for transport . Killing the peasants is inhumane and brings nothing.