Drug Smugglers Open Fire at Checkpoint in Gunfight
Drug smugglers opened fire on police during a checkpoint stop in Chiang Rai, sparking a five-minute gunfight that left one suspect dead and leading to the seizure of 4.5 million methamphetamine pills.
At 00:27 on September 22, 2025, near the Mae Tho checkpoint in Mae Jedi subdistrict, Wiangpa Pao district, Chiang Rai province, Chiang Rai Provincial Police, working with Chiang Mai Provincial Police, Region 5 Provincial Police, Mae Jedi Police Station, and relevant agencies under the command of Deputy Provincial Police Commander Manop Seenakul, launched an operation to track and intercept drug trafficking operations. Officers had been tipped off by a good citizen about a large-scale drug shipment being transported from Chiang Rai province into Chiang Mai province via the Mae Tho checkpoint. They established a checkpoint to intercept the operation.
When a white Honda CR-V with Chiang Rai license plates approached, officers signaled it to stop, but the vehicle accelerated and breached the checkpoint. Officers pursued the vehicle until it lost control and veered off the road. The occupants then opened fire on the officers, triggering a fierce gunfight lasting approximately five minutes. After the situation was brought under control, officers moved in and apprehended two men: Wichian (surname withheld), age 28, who died shortly after; and Ekapong (surname withheld), age 22.
During a search, officers found approximately 4,500,000 methamphetamine pills, a Class 1 narcotic, and seized two vehicles. Ekapong was handed over to Mae Jedi Police Station investigators along with all seized materials for legal prosecution. Authorities are expanding the investigation to identify and apprehend accomplices and associates involved in the drug network.
