CHIANG MAI: Soldiers seized over 80 kilogrmmes of opium following an exchange of gunfire with a group of drug smugglers along the Thai-Myanmar border in Mae Ai district of this northern border province on Friday.
The clash began when a military patrol from the Pha Muang task force spotted six suspected men carrying rucksacks along the border at Pang Ton Due village in tambon Mae Ai on Friday afternoon. The soldiers signalled the men to stop for a search but were met with gunfire. In response, the troops returned fire.
After the brief exchange of gunfire, the armed men fled across the border to Myanmar. No injuries were reported.
Upon inspection at the scene of the clash, the officers found four rucksacks containing 51 packages of opium, weighing 81.6kg in total.