Police Nab International Drug Gang, Seize 196 kg of Ice Near Guesthouse Just 1.2 km from District Office
Police seized 196 kg of methamphetamine from an abandoned pickup truck on a highway in Mukdahan Province after cracking down on an international drug gang smuggling narcotics from Laos across the Mekong River.
At approximately 2:00 a.m. on May 26, 2569, Commander Oroat Phutthaako of the Mekong River Police Station in Nakhon Phanom received intelligence about an international drug trafficking operation smuggling narcotics from Savannakhet, Laos across the Mekong River into the Huan Yai District area of Mukdahan Province for distribution deeper into Thailand using a four-door pickup truck. Officers immediately launched intensive patrols and surveillance operations along the river, riverbanks, and targeted overland routes. While patrolling Highway 3010 toward Highway 212 (Mukdahan-Tha Uthen), officers spotted a gray and black Toyota Vigo with Khon Kaen license plate parked with its engine running and lights dimmed along the roadside in a suspicious manner. Upon inspection, no driver or occupants were found in or near the vehicle. A search of the truck's interior revealed five large black sacks containing approximately 196 packages of crystal methamphetamine weighing around 196 kilograms. Officers seized all the drugs and the vehicle, bringing them to the station for detailed investigation while pursuing the suspects and network members involved. Notably, the operation demonstrated the audacity of the trafficking network—they chose a main highway near critical government facilities, with the pickup found parked just 1.2 kilometers from the Huan Yai District Office and police station, reflecting the brazen attitude of cross-border drug gangs operating without fear of legal consequences.
