Mae Sai customs seizes 2.74m meth pills hidden in furniture
Customs officers seized 2.74 million meth tablets worth an estimated 137 million baht in furniture at Mae Sai and arrested two Myanmar nationals.
- Thai customs officials seized 2.74 million methamphetamine tablets at the Mae Sai border checkpoint in Chiang Rai.
- The drugs, with an estimated value of 137 million baht, were found concealed within mattresses and sofas in a vehicle arriving from Myanmar.
- Two Myanmar nationals, the driver and a passenger, were arrested in connection with the smuggling attempt.
- In addition to the meth pills, 458 sets of e-cigarette pod cartridges were also found hidden in the furniture.
Customs officers have seized 2.74 million methamphetamine tablets concealed inside mattresses and sofas in a vehicle entering Thailand through the Mae Sai border checkpoint in Chiang Rai, arresting two Myanmar nationals.
Waris Wisaratanon, head of Mae Sai Customs House, disclosed the seizure on October 29, 2026. Authorities estimated the value of the tablets at 137 million baht.
The drugs were discovered during a joint operation involving customs officers, soldiers, immigration officials, police, district authorities and narcotics enforcement agencies.
X-ray screening reveals concealed tablets
Officers searched a small, Myanmar-registered four-wheeled vehicle carrying furniture and electrical appliances after it entered Thailand through Mae Sai Border Checkpoint 1 in Mae Sai district from Tachileik, Myanmar.
The vehicle was driven by a 24-year-old Myanmar man, accompanied by a 46-year-old Myanmar woman.
X-ray screening and a subsequent physical inspection uncovered tablets packed in blue plastic bags and grouped into 274 bundles wrapped in plastic and foil. Each bundle contained 10,000 tablets, bringing the total to 2,740,000.
A field test using an ONCB 051 reagent indicated that the tablets were methamphetamine, commonly known as yaba, according to customs.
E-cigarette pod cartridges also seized
Officers also found 458 sets of e-cigarette pod cartridges packed in plastic bags.
Both the drug bundles and the pod cartridges had been concealed within the structures of the mattresses and sofas loaded onto the vehicle.
Authorities seized the items as evidence and arrested the driver and passenger.
Customs, military and narcotics agencies join operation
Mae Sai Customs House carried out the search with the Customs Control Division of Regional Customs Office 3 and Investigation and Suppression Division 3 of the Customs Department’s Enforcement Division.
Other participating agencies included the 3rd Cavalry Company of the Thap Chao Tak Task Force under the Pha Muang Force, Chiang Rai Immigration, Mae Sai Police Station and the Mae Sai district administration.
Narcotics officers involved in the operation included the Chiang Rai-based Sub-division 2 of Narcotics Suppression Division 3, under the Narcotics Suppression Bureau.
They were joined by Intelligence and Narcotics Suppression Operations Unit 2 of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board’s Narcotics Law Enforcement Bureau.
The Pha Muang Force’s military intelligence unit and the narcotics intelligence centre within the Royal Thai Army Operations Centre’s intelligence section also participated.
Suspects handed to Mae Sai police
Authorities cited alleged violations of section 242, read with section 252, of the Customs Act 2017, concerning the importation of goods without completing customs formalities.
They also cited section 90, read with section 145, of the Narcotics Code 2021, concerning the importation of narcotics.
The two suspects were transferred to Mae Sai Police Station for further legal proceedings.
