Thai military forces from the Task Force Chao Taksin, under the Pha Muang Force, engaged in a shootout with a drug trafficking group attempting to smuggle 32 backpacks into Thailand.
The confrontation resulted in the death of two people. Yesterday, July 2, Colonel Anuwat Panyanan, commander of the Task Force Chao Taksin of the Pha Mueang Force, led an investigation into the incident.
The military unit encountered the drug smuggling group at 7.15am, as they were patrolling the border and spotted 25 to 30 suspects loading modified backpack sacks onto an Isuzu pickup truck with Lamphun province plates.
When the military personnel identified themselves and requested to search, the group responded by firing weapons to facilitate their escape. The military retaliated in self-defence, leading to a gunfight lasting approximately 10 minutes. All military personnel remained unharmed.
Reinforcements were dispatched to secure the area before conducting a thorough examination around the confrontation site.
The search revealed 32 modified backpacks, some in the pickup and others nearby in the forest. Two members of the drug trafficking group were found deceased, while the others retreated back across the border.
The investigation also uncovered one long-barrelled shotgun, a grenade, two communication radios, and several AK-47 shell casings at the scene. Subsequently, Major General Kidakorn Chantra, commander of the Pha Mueang Force, instructed Colonel Anuwat Panyanan and related officials to examine the scene and seize the drugs.
The investigation found that the 32 backpacks contained 6 million methamphetamine pills and two backpacks of crystal methamphetamine weighing approximately 64 kilogrammes. The seized items were handed over to the Mae Fa Luang Police Station for further legal action, reported KhaoSod.
In similar news, in Chiang Rai’s Mae Fah Luang district, a drug smuggler was killed and 4.2 million methamphetamine pills were confiscated following a 10-minute gunfight between traffickers and a military patrol early on June 6.
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