Three Policemen Killed In Nong Khai Clash With Laotian Drug Gang

[george]

Three policemen killed, one injured in clash with Laotian drug gang

NONG KHAI: -- Three policemen were killed and another severely injured when they tried arrest two Laotian drug dealers in a village of Nong Khai's Buengkarn district late Monday night.

Undercover police contacted to buy crystallised amphetamine from the Laotian drug dealers in Tambon Horkham and when the two dealers came to deliver the drug 13 Thai police officers showed up to arrest them.

However, the two Laotians and another gangster, who was hiding, opened fire at the police officers, killing one of them at the scene. Two more officers died at the hospital.

Nong Khai Police chief Pol Maj Gen Pramote Iamthat said an allege drug dealer was killed.

-- The Nation 2006-10-31

[Scott]

Sympathies to the families of the victims. That said, this is sure a drug bust that didn't go well!

[Jai Dee]

Sting on Thai-Lao border leaves 4 dead

A sting operation to nab Lao drug traffickers turned into a shootout near the Thailand-Laos border, leaving three Thai police and one Lao national dead, police said Tuesday.

Twelve police from Thailand's narcotics suppression division participated in the sting operation at 10 p.m. Monday in the Thai-Lao border town of Nong Khai, 500 kilometres north of Bangkok, said Nong Khai Police Colonel Suriya Lertphumbanya.

The sting aimed at catching Lao traffickers red-handed selling one kilogram of ecstasy for 800,000 baht (20,000 dollars) to undercover cops, but the operation took a bloody turn, he said.

"Police rushed in to make the arrests but they were taken unaware by a Lao ambush. The Lao opened fire on us with an AK-47, killing one policeman on the spot and two others died in hospital," said Suriya in a telephone interview.

At least one Lao also died in the ensuing firefight, but two escaped.

"We've been working on this sting for quite a while, buying smaller amounts of marijuana and amphetamines over the past few weeks but Monday night was the first big purchase," said Suriya.

Laos, which has a history of illegally cultivating opium, has switched to producing methamphetamines and marijuana, or trafficking them from neighbouring Myanmar (Burma) in recent years, according to anti-narcotics officials.

Source: DPA - 31 October 2006

[sriracha john]

Crystal meth in first report, ectasy in the second report.

I'm surprised the police were surprised and hadn't anticipated trouble beforehand of this magnitude.