Chiang Rai drug bust: 2 million meth pills seized, 2 arrested
Chiang Rai police arrested two Thais driving a black pickup truck that matched the description of a vehicle used by a drug smuggling ring.
The vehicle was stopped as it was entering the inner area of the Rob Wiang subdistrict in Chiang Rai’s Muang district on Friday night. Initial search uncovered 2 million methamphetamine tablets hidden in 10 sacks of hay.
The suspects were identified as Lampang-native Krit, 44, and Lopburi-native Phab, 56. The last names have been withheld.
The suspects reportedly told the police they had been hired via the Line application to pick up the drugs from under the bridge across Kok River and deliver them to downtown Chiang Rai.
They were caught about 200 metres from the pick-up point.
The suspects reportedly claimed that they were met by two foreign nationals under the bridge, who then spent about half an hour loading the sacks on the truck.
This is the second major drug bust in less than a month in the northern province, following a seizure of 3 million meth pills from a boat on the Mekong River near Suan Dok village on November 23. The occupants of the boat fled, leaving the drugs behind in 15 sacks.
Chiang Rai shares borders with Myanmar and Laos.
