4 million speed pills seized in Chiang Rai

CHIANG RAI, March 2 - A joint drug suppression operation of policed and military personnel confiscated over 4 million methamphetamine pills smuggled into Thailand’s northern border province of Chiang Rai from neighbouring Myanmar.

The seizure took place late Thursday night by a combined unit of Mae Chan police and paramilitary rangers from the Pha Muang Force. The authorities acted after being tipped off that drug traffickers planned to smuggle a huge shipment from a Myanmar into the kingdom along the border in Chiang Rai’s Mae Fa Luang and Mae Chan districts, according to Pol Maj Gen Surachet Topunyanon, commander of Chiang Rai provincial police.

Responding to the tip, the authorities set up checkpoints along the border and at the targeted locations.

During the inspection, drivers of a pickup truck and two motorcycles tried to veer off from the Jakona village checkpoint in Pa Tung subdistrict by driving away. The authorities tracked them to a village and found the pickup parked with suspicious rucksacks.

Investigators found 34 rucksacks containing 4,080,000 meth pills in the pickup cab and that the vehicle belonged to Chidpol Buangern, a Lampang resident.

The authorities speculated the driver fleeing the scene might be Wutthipong Kitbumrung, Jakona village head assistant. They will speed up search for Mr Wutthipong and Mr Chidpol for prosecution. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-03-02

Wow! A lot! But this post should be in tablets across the border.