CHIANG MAI: A total of 2.5 million methamphetamine pills and 700 kilogrammes of crystal meth, or ice, have been seized in three drug cases in Lampang, Chiang Mai and Phrae provinces, under the jurisdiction of Provincial Police Region 5.
Eighteen suspects were arrested and eight vehicles impounded in the three cases, national police chief Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas said at a press conference on Wednesday.
In Lampang, police stopped two pickups loaded with fresh corn at a drug checkpoint in Mae Phrik district. An X-ray revealed 350kg of crystal meth hidden in each vehicle, 700kg in total. Six suspects were arrested. The drugs were loaded in Wiang Haeng district in Chiang Mai and were destined for Nakhon Si Thammarat.
In Chiang Mai, at Pha Hong drug checkpoint in Chai Prakan district police searched a car and found 440,000 meth pills. They arrested two suspects.
Information from the two suspects led to the arrest of two more suspects and seizure of 560,000 more meth pills, and another suspect with 500,000 meth pills.
A total of five suspects were arrested, 1.5 million meth pills seized and three cars and a motorcycle impounded in the three actions in Chiang Mai.
In Phrae, a truck loaded with paddy rice was stopped for a search at Nang Fa drug checkpoint in Song district. Police found one million meth pills hidden among the rice. Seven suspects were arrested for involvement in this case and two vehicles were impounded for examination.
The police chief did not give the dates of these seizures and arrests.