Police Seize 500kg Ice in Border Drug Bust Gunfight
Police seized 500kg of methamphetamine after a gunfight with drug smugglers near the Chiang Rai-Chiang Saen border on July 3, wounding one suspect and recovering the drugs hidden in a pickup truck.
On July 3, 2025, police under the command of Chiang Rai Provincial Police Commander Pol. Lt. Col. Manop Senakul and Deputy Commander Pol. Maj. Passakorn Thawachchiang-kul conducted an interdiction operation against drug traffickers smuggling methamphetamine from the Chiang Rai border area in Chiang Saen District through Wieng Chiang Rung District. Officers spotted two pickup trucks heading toward an evasion route and attempted to intercept them, but the suspects opened fire. Police returned fire in self-defense, resulting in a gunfight lasting over five minutes. One male suspect was shot and wounded, while another fled. Police took the injured suspect into custody and transported him to hospital.
A search of the black four-door Toyota Vigo truck revealed 14 sacks of ice weighing approximately 500 kilograms hidden inside.
In a separate operation in Mae Jan District, Mae Jan Police Station officers conducted a raid on a residence in Moo 19, Sri Kham Subdistrict following reports of drug activity. They discovered a cardboard box outside containing 10 kilograms of ice, along with a .22 caliber firearm and ammunition. The homeowner's 38-year-old son, who owned the items, had fled before police arrived. Officers are pursuing further arrest efforts.
