Drug Suppression Chief Receives 2 Major Cross-Border Drug Lords at Mae Sai

Picture courtesy of Matichon.

In a high-profile operation at Thailand’s northern border, Pol. Lt. Gen. Panurat Lakboon, Secretary-General of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), led a special task force to the Second Mae Sai Border Checkpoint in Chiang Rai to officially receive two major drug trafficking suspects extradited from Myanmar.

The suspects, Techin Nowong and Chamang Kantawong, are identified as key figures in a transnational narcotics network responsible for sourcing drugs from neighbouring countries and smuggling them into Thailand’s interior regions using couriers.

Accompanied by Mr. Prern Mekhanan, Director of the ONCB’s Narcotics Suppression Bureau and the elite “Eagle 19” special operations unit, Lt. Gen. Panurat met with Pol. Brig. Gen. Taring Mong, Secretary of Myanmar’s Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC), to formally take custody of the suspects.

According to the ONCB chief, both men had been on the run since October 2024 after arrest warrants were issued in connection with a major heroin seizure , 154 kilograms, in a joint raid across Chainat and Suphanburi provinces. Intelligence operations led to a follow-up crackdown on 5 March 2025 dubbed “Operation Cut Off the Source III”, targeting the Techin network in ten locations across six provinces: Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Suphanburi, Ang Thong, Sukhothai and Ayutthaya.

One of the suspects, Parkpoom, was arrested during the sweep, and authorities seized over 80 million baht worth of assets, including land, vehicles, gold, and bank accounts.

Between October 2024 and June 2025, authorities linked the network to four separate drug cases involving:

• 609 kg of crystal methamphetamine

• 154 kg of heroin

• 1.3 million methamphetamine pills

In total, eight suspects were named in the investigations, with three already arrested. Additional warrants are expected as evidence builds.

After fleeing to Tachileik, Myanmar, both Techin and Chamang allegedly continued orchestrating drug trafficking operations from across the border. The ONCB classified them as high-priority fugitives for 2025, offering a 2.5 million baht reward for information leading to their capture.

On 1 July 2025, ONCB’s suppression division received a tip-off about Techin’s location. The information was relayed via the Thai Embassy in Yangon to Myanmar’s CCDAC. A subsequent raid on a safehouse uncovered both fugitives, who were then taken into custody.

Following their handover to Thai authorities, the ONCB confirmed that both men will face prosecution under the law. Investigations will also continue into the financial and logistical infrastructure supporting the network, with further asset seizures anticipated.

This operation underscores growing regional cooperation between Thailand and Myanmar in addressing transnational drug trafficking. The ONCB has vowed to pursue all remaining suspects and dismantle the syndicate’s financial backbone.

  Adapted by Asean Now from Matichon 2025-07-17