MUKDAHAN: Rangers on river patrol seized 7,500 kilogrammes of frozen beef after it was smuggled across the Mekong into Thailand on Monday night. Nine smugglers, all Lao nationals, were arrested.

Col Pitakpol Chusri, commander of the 22nd Ranger Regiment, said a team positioned on the riverside  spotted a steel boat motoring across the river to a spot near Napo Noy community in Muang district about 11pm.

After landing, nine men on the boat began to unload packs onto the riverbank.

Another team of rangers on a patrol boat, called in by the first team, quickly moved in on the smugglers' boat and identified themselves for a search.

They found and seized 375 packs of frozen beef, each weighing 20kg - 7.5 tonnes in total.

The nine men, all Lao nationals from Savannakhet, were arrested for smuggling.