Thai officers unearth buried meth, seize 80,800 pills

2026-01-28 - 08:01

KHON KAEN — 28 January 2026, Thai Border Patrol Police Region 2 have arrested three suspects and seized more than 80,800 methamphetamine pills, some of which were buried in a rice field in an apparent attempt to evade authorities. At 13:00, Pol. Maj. Gen. Wutthiphong Yenjit, commander of Border Patrol Police Region 2, said officers received intelligence that a drug trafficking network was transporting methamphetamine from Ban Phaeng district in Nakhon Phanom province to customers in Khao Suan Kwang and Nam Phong districts of Khon Kaen province. The drugs were allegedly being carried in a black Toyota car. A task force led by Capt. Khomsan Nilsomboon was deployed to monitor routes in the area. Officers later spotted a suspicious black car with Kanchanaburi registration plate KM 3446 passing a resort in Nam Phong district and heading towards Mittraphap Road. Police followed the vehicle closely before identifying themselves and conducting a search. Officers arrested the driver, Chananpat Lee-lerd, 20, from Bueng Kan province, and a passenger, Sukanya, 17, from Sakon Nakhon province. Chananpat admitted that a large quantity of methamphetamine was inside the vehicle. A search uncovered about 50,500 pills wrapped in yellow wax paper, packed in clear plastic bags and concealed in a black plastic bag behind the driver’s seat. Pol. Maj. Gen. Wutthiphong said Chananpat confessed the drugs belonged to him and that before his arrest he had already delivered about 30,300 pills to a customer. The delivery was made along a rural road in Khao Suan Kwang district, Khon Kaen. Police then instructed the suspect to contact the buyer, leading to the arrest of a third suspect, Khunsin Khaokhun, 44, from Ubolratana district, Khon Kaen. Khunsin admitted receiving the drugs and burying them in a rice field opposite his wife’s house in Dong Muang Am subdistrict. A search of the area uncovered 15 bundles containing about 30,308 methamphetamine pills. The total seizure in the case amounted to about 80,800 pills. All three suspects were charged with jointly possessing and distributing a Category 1 narcotic, methamphetamine, for commercial purposes. They were handed over with the seized evidence to Nam Phong police investigators for further legal proceedings.