A drug smuggler was killed and a half-million methamphetamine pills seized in a shootout with police in Chiang Rai early today.
The smuggler was travelling in a pickup truck without a license plate when police tried to pull him over on Wat Rongkhun route in Muang district around 2am Friday. The driver refused to stop, setting off a high-speed chase.
The driver lost control of the truck and it plunged into a roadside ditch. He quickly got out and started shooting at police, officers claimed. That prompted police to return fire, shooting the suspect in the head and chest, Thai media reported today.
After the clash, police searched his vehicle and found three sacks containing 500,000 speed pills. The sacks were hidden under cardboard boxes.
Police said the smuggler, aged around 40, carried no identification. They will expand their investigation to find who was involved with the drug smuggling.