Major Cross-Border Drug Bust: 261kg of Meth Seized in Songkhla

Picture courtesy of Siam News.

Authorities have announced on 29 April, the successful seizure of 261 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and the arrest of two suspects believed to be part of a major Thai-Malaysian transnational drug trafficking network.

The announcement was made during a press conference by Mr. Mana Siripityawat, Deputy Secretary-General of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), alongside senior representatives from Thailand’s military and air and naval intelligence divisions. The operation was a coordinated effort involving domestic enforcement agencies and Malaysia’s Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID).

The arrests were made on 24 April in Tha Chang sub-district, Bang Klam district, Songkhla province. Authorities had been investigating the network for over a month, discovering that the suspects had rented a house in Songkhla to serve as a temporary storage facility before smuggling the drugs through the southern border provinces, particularly Narathiwat, en route to a third country.

After monitoring the suspects closely, officers moved in to conduct a raid, uncovering the substantial quantity of methamphetamine and detaining two individuals at the scene.

During questioning, the suspects admitted they were transporting the drugs for international delivery. They also revealed they had previously trafficked a shipment of over one million methamphetamine pills to Narathiwat, receiving a payment of 120,000 baht.

Mr. Mana credited the success of the operation to intelligence-sharing and collaboration between domestic enforcement agencies and international partners, especially the Malaysian NCID. He emphasised the importance of continued international cooperation to combat drug trafficking and transnational crime, and to prevent Thailand from being used as a transit hub for narcotics bound for overseas markets.

  Adapted by Asean Now from Siam News 2025-04-30.