Thai forces seize 1.08 million meth pills near Mekong River
Thai security forces seized 1.08 million methamphetamine pills near the Mekong River in Loei after suspected traffickers fled across the border into Laos during a pre-dawn raid Friday.
LOEI — On May 22, 2026, Thai security forces intercepted over 1.08 million methamphetamine pills along the Mekong River in northeastern Thailand after suspected drug traffickers escaped across the border into Laos.
The operation began around 4 a.m. Friday near Highway 211 in Ban Sangao village, Huai Phichai subdistrict, Pak Chom district, following intelligence about a major drug shipment destined for the area.
Troops from the Surasak Montri Task Force, border narcotics suppression units, and local security agencies were deployed along the riverbank for surveillance. Officers spotted a suspicious pickup truck near the Mekong and observed three men loading black sacks into the vehicle.
When security personnel moved in to make an arrest, the suspects scattered into the darkness. They allegedly commandeered two motorized long-tail boats belonging to villagers and fled across the Mekong into Laos. The pickup truck driver separately escaped along Highway 211 toward Sangkhom district in neighboring Nong Khai province.
After securing the area, authorities discovered three sacks containing approximately 1.08 million yaba pills and confiscated one motorized long-tail boat. The drugs were transported to a local ranger unit base for inspection and subsequently handed over to Pak Chom police as evidence. Authorities continue efforts to identify and apprehend other members of the suspected trafficking network.
