Border Patrol Police 334 officers in Mae Ai fatally shot one suspect involved in a smuggling operation. methamphetamine pills. One suspect escaped under cover of darkness. Authorities seized more than 2.5 million pills as evidence.
On 30 December 2025 GMT+7, it was reported that Police Lieutenant Colonel Thawatchai Surinta, Deputy Superintendent and Head of Border Patrol Police Company 334, ordered Police Captain Ananyawat Rattanawichai, Commander of Company 334, to deploy forces to monitor the behavior of a drug trafficking group in the area.
At approximately 21:00 on 29 December 2025 GMT+7, Border Patrol Police 334 officers spotted a suspicious white sedan with license plate JAS 8435 from Chiang Mai, driving from Ban Tat Mok area. They followed the vehicle, which had previously been linked to drug smuggling into the inner region. The car traveled along the Ban Huai Pu route, where officers continued surveillance. Suspecting the driver sensed the pursuit, the vehicle changed route, moving along a path beside rice fields. The surveillance team coordinated with another Border Patrol Police 334 unit to monitor the alternative route.
Upon reaching Ban San Khong, Mali Ka Subdistrict, Mae Ai District, the suspect's vehicle saw the police blockade and rammed into the officers' car, then fired shots at the Border Patrol Police 334 officers blocking the road. The suspect then exited the vehicle and fled on foot. Meanwhile, the pursuing Border Patrol Police 334 team stopped their vehicle and chased the suspect into the rice fields, where the suspect fired at officers to clear an escape path.
Since it was nighttime and the area was dark with no lighting, the pursuing officers inspected the scene after the gunfire ceased and found one suspect lying in the rice field. This individual was the driver who had shot at the officers.
The suspect was later identified as Mr. Chawa Chabo, who was wanted under a warrant issued by the Narcotics Suppression Bureau Region 3 for drug-related offenses. Another man, who had been seated beside the driver, escaped under cover of darkness. The operation team coordinated with forces from Border Patrol Police Company 35, the 3rd Army Ranger Battalion, Mae Ai district officials, Mae Ai police station, medical personnel, and prosecutors. They inspected the vehicle and found methamphetamine concealed on the rear seats, covered with leaves and blankets—five sacks inside the rear seat area and five sacks in the trunk, all camouflaged with leaves, totaling ten sacks believed to contain methamphetamine.
Each sack contained approximately 250,000 methamphetamine pills, totaling about 2.5 million pills. The deceased suspect held a .38 caliber revolver in his right hand. A female suspect, about 22 years old, believed to be a hired guide, was also found and is under investigation. Authorities jointly inspected the seized items before transferring all evidence to Mae Ai Police Station for further examination and investigation.