&ldquo;The exchange of gunfire occurred after a pickup, instead of stopping at a checkpoint, started firing at officials there,&rdquo; Mae Sae district chief Somsak Khanannam said over the weekend. 
He said officials manning the checkpoint included soldiers and administrative officials, who then fired back.&nbsp; 
The gunfight lasted for about five minutes. Some sacks were then thrown out of the vehicle, which sped away. 
When officials checked the sacks, they found a huge quantity of meth-amphetamine tablets. 
Authorities vowed to go after culprits.

Huge quantities of meth retrieved as suspects flee after shootout

Drug suspects fled leaving behind 530,000 meth-amphetamine tablets following a brief gunfight with officials at a checkpoint in Chiang Rai province’s Mae Sai district on Saturday night.