Thai Rangers Seize 400,000 Meth Pills, 50kg Ice on Mekong Border
Thai paramilitary rangers in Nong Khai seized nearly 400,000 methamphetamine pills and 50 kilograms of crystal meth after a boat from Laos dumped the drugs on the Mekong riverbank. The suspects fled back across the border before officers could apprehend them. The narcotics have been transferred to local police for investigation.
On October 24, the special operations unit of the 21st Ranger Regiment, Control Division 2 (R.13), in Phon Phisai district, Nong Khai province, together with relevant agencies, announced the seizure of narcotics, specifically yaba and ice. Acting on a tip-off that drugs would be smuggled into the Ban Mai Sai Thong area, Moo 14, Kut Bong subdistrict, Phon Phisai district, on the night of October 22, Captain Pichitphon Kenda, commander of Ranger Company 2107, coordinated with local security forces to set up a stakeout at the risk point. At 8:10 PM, a long-tail boat with an engine was spotted approaching the Mekong riverbank at Ban Mai Sai Thong from the Lao PDR side. A suspicious man threw several objects onto the bank before speeding back to the Lao side. Officers maintained surveillance for a while but saw no further movement, so they inspected the suspicious packages. The sacks contained 66 bundles of yaba, each containing approximately 6,000 pills, totaling roughly 396,000 pills, and crystal methamphetamine packed in plastic bags weighing a total of 50 kilograms. The evidence was handed over to Phon Phisai Police Station investigators for further legal action.
