Narcotics suppression police killed one drug trader and arrested two others and seized 120,000 methamphetamine pills during a sting operation in Mae Taeng district of Chiang Mai province on Thursday morning, police said.
An ambush was set up after police decoys contacted some drug traders and arranged to buy 120,000 meth pills at a cost of 4 million baht. They arranged to hand over the drugs and cash at a bridge near Moo 3 village in tambon Khilek of Mae Taeng district on the Chiang Mai - Pai road.
When the traffickers arrived at the spot in a pick-up truck police emerged from hiding and demanded they halt for a search.
The dealers fled in roadside bushes. One of them, identified later as Somkiat Assawamethi, 27, of Tak's Phop Phra district, opened fire at police. They retaliated and Somkiat was killed, shot twice in the chest and once in the head, police said.
The two other traffickers surrenders - Prateep Laohang, 22, and Uraiporn Yangyuenpiyarat, 38, of Chiang Mai's Chiang Dao district. All three of them are ethnic Hmong.
The police found 120,000 meth pills in the back of the truck.