Military rangers in Nong Khai, alongside local police, captured a 29 year old man attempting to smuggle methamphetamine across the border.
The suspect, who had hidden in a cemetery overnight, was found with nearly one million pills. The operation took place at 11.30am yesterday, August 27.
Sompop Samitasiri, the governor of Nong Khai, joined forces with Colonel Rewat Thamjiradet, deputy commander of the 2nd Control Division (13th Infantry Regiment), Surasak Montri Task Force, Police Major Wichaya Sing-aon, commander of the 2104th Special Task Force of the 21st Ranger Regiment, and Phaitoon Mahachuenjai, deputy governor of Nong Khai, to announce the arrest of Aree Kotaphan, a resident of Ban Phue in Phon Phisai district, Nong Khai province. He was apprehended with 618,000 methamphetamine pills.
The 2104th Ranger Regiment commander explained that they received a tip-off about a drug smuggling operation set to occur in Ban Suai Sadet cemetery, Moo 14, Wat Luang subdistrict, Phon Phisai district. This led to a coordinated effort with nearby agencies to set up an ambush.
At approximately 9pm on August 26, officials noticed a suspicious man placing six bags near the crematorium at Ban Suai Sadet cemetery in Phon Phisai district.
Upon inspection, the suspect fled into the forest. By the morning of August 27, military rangers conducted a thorough search of the area and discovered Aree hiding. He confessed to collecting the methamphetamine to deliver to clients.
The governor of Nong Khai highlighted that from October last year to August 27, the province seized a significant quantity of narcotics, including 31,363,800 methamphetamine pills, 778 kilogrammes of ice, 70.52 kilogrammes of heroin, 2 kilogrammes of ketamine, 155 packets of happy water, 137,385 ecstasy tablets, and an additional 5.18 kilogrammes of other drugs, reported KhaoSod.
In similar news, on August 25, northern police announced the arrest of four people linked to two large-scale drug trafficking cases, resulting in the seizure of more than 8.2 million methamphetamine tablets and two vehicles. The suspects confessed that they had successfully avoided capture on three prior occasions.
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