Major Drug Bust: Region 4 Police Intercept Large-Scale Ice Trafficking Operation, Seizing Over 238 Kilograms
Region 4 Police seized 238 kilograms of methamphetamine worth over 300 million baht during a highway intercept operation in Bung Kan on May 8, arresting one suspect as his accomplice fled into the forest.
At 5 p.m. on May 8, 2025, Lieutenant Colonel Somphop of the Region 4 Narcotics Suppression Bureau led officers in intercepting and arresting a drug trafficking operation. After tracking suspicious pickup truck movements along the Nong Khai-Bueng Kan highway, police surrounded and arrested one suspect while seizing 8 sacks of ice weighing approximately 238 kilograms valued at over 300 million baht, along with one pickup truck and a mobile phone. A second accomplice escaped into the forest under cover of darkness.
Region 4 Police Commander General Santi Chaianiramai stated that the operation continues to target major drug trafficking networks smuggling large quantities of methamphetamine through Mekong River border provinces. Officers had been surveilling an Isuzu D-Max pickup truck with Nakhon Pathom registration plates suspected of transporting ice.
When officers attempted to inspect the vehicle near a rubber plantation in Bung Kan's Muang district, the driver accelerated and attempted to escape through palm oil plantation rows. Police deployed tactics that resulted in a blowout of the front tire. The driver then fled on foot but was apprehended by pursuing officers—identified as 29-year-old Ekarat (nickname: Palm). His passenger escaped into the forest.
Inspection of the pickup truck revealed fertilizer sacks wrapped in black plastic containing 238 units of ice methamphetamine weighing approximately 238 kilograms, valued at over 300 million baht. Five sacks were hidden in the rear seating area and three more in the truck bed. The suspect was arrested and evidence transferred to Hat Khom Police Station in Bueng Kan for prosecution on charges of methamphetamine possession with intent to distribute, operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs, and illegal drug use.
