Rangers engaged in a firefight with a drug trafficking gang in the forest of Mae Ai district, Chiang Mai province, late at night. Three suspects were killed in the shootout, some escaped. A backpack containing 500,000 methamphetamine pills was found. All officers remained unharmed.
Reporters stated that authorities clashed with a drug smuggling group before fatally shooting three suspects. Upon inspection, 500,000 methamphetamine pills were discovered.
Following reports from intelligence sources about drug trafficking attempts in the area of responsibility, the Third Army Area Operations Center’s Ranger Command deployed a task force to patrol and monitor the route at Ban Na Ma In, Mae Ai subdistrict, Mae Ai district, Chiang Mai province.
At around 20:00 on 21 December 2025 GMT+7, officers spotted a group of about 5-8 suspects carrying modified backpacks in the border forest. When officers identified themselves to conduct a search, the men fired unknown firearms at them, leading to a roughly five-minute firefight. After the gunfire ceased, all officers were safe. They secured the scene and reinforced the area due to limited visibility and safety concerns.
At 07:30, the Third Army Area Operations Center’s Ranger Command deployed two rapid response companies from the Pha Muang Task Force to inspect the scene. They found three dead suspects and a backpack-modified sack containing 500,000 methamphetamine pills (Class 1 narcotics), a homemade Thai long gun (gap gun) with one magazine, and six 7.62 mm cartridge casings.
At 10:30, Major General Satit Waiyanon, Commander of the Pha Muang Task Force and Director of its Narcotics Suppression Operations Center, assigned Colonel Meechai Nilsart, Deputy Commander of the Pha Muang Task Force, along with related agencies, rangers, Mae Ai district officials, and others, to the site to further inspect the seized items.
