A Hmong man was arrested and illicit drugs worth more than 66 million baht seized at a police checkpoint in Phrae province Tuesday.
Pitak Komlasbucha, 28, a Hmong resident in Chiang Rai's Wiang Kaen district, was taken for a police press conference at the Provincial Police Region 5 headquarters today. Seized from him were 304,000 speed pills and 3kg of crystal methamphetamine, or "ice', and a pickup truck with a Bangkok license plate, Khaosod Online reported.
The suspect has been charged with possessing illicit drugs with intent to sell.
Pol Maj Gen Panudet Bunruang, chief of Phrae police, said the arrest followed an investigation that drug traffickers now were using Song district as another illicit transit route for drugs.
Police set up a checkpoint and found Mr Pitak's vehicle heading to the area. Upon seeing the checkpoint, the man acted suspiciously, police said, and phoned two other alleged gang members in another vehicle to change direction. The gang allegedly hid the drugs along Ngao-Song road before being fleeing.
Mr Pitak was subsequently caught and the drugs seized, while the two other gang members, identified later as Amornthep sae Fa, 26, and Pichit sae Fa, 32, remained at large.