CHIANG RAI – A drug smuggler was killed and 4.2 million methamphetamine pills seized after a 10-minute clash between a group of armed traffickers and an army patrol in Mae Fah Luang district of this northern province early Friday.
Soldiers from the Phra Chao Taksin special units of the Pha Muang task force spotted a group of 15 to 20 men walking with rucksacks in a forested area near Ban Pang Nun Phatthana in tambon Mae Fah Luang at about 5.15am.
Authorities said the men fired shots after the soldiers asked them to stop for a search, prompting the troops to return fire. The exchange of gunfire lasted about 10 minutes.
After the clash subsided, the army units cleared the area and found 21 sacks, containing 200,000 amphetamine pills each.
One of the traffickers was found shot dead at the scene. The others had fled.
The seized drugs were handed over to the Mae Fah Luang police station for further legal proceedings, said Maj Gen Kidakorn Chantra, commander of the Pha Muang task force.
Since Oct 1 last year, Thai security forces say they have intercepted 285 drug trafficking operations.
They have arrested 299 suspects and seized large quantities of illicit drugs, with an estimated value of 26.4 billion baht if distributed to Bangkok area.