CHIANG RAI: Half a million methamphetamine pills were seized in an operation to intercept drugs being smuggled into the country across the border with Myanmar in Mae Fa Luang district of this northern border province early Sunday.
Acting on information from intelligence sources, rangers from the 31st Ranger Task Force set up a checkpoint on the road between Ban Sam Sung and Ban Santi Khiri in tambon Mae Salong Nok.
At about 4.50am, three motorcycles were spotted leaving Ban Sam Sung in the direction of Ban Santi Khiri. The rangers let the first motorcycle, believed to be a forward, through the checkpoint.
When the two other motorcycles were approaching the checkpoint, the rangers appeared and signalled the them to stop. Both bikes made a sudden U-turn and fled in the dark, dropping five bags on the road as they sped away.
The bags were found to contain some 500,000 meth pills.
The seized drugs were taken to Mae Fa Luang police station for analysis.