Soldiers from the Pha Muang Task Force killed one suspect and arrested another in a drug trafficking operation in Wiang Haeng District, Chiang Mai Province, seizing 18 sacks containing about 3,980,000 methamphetamine pills.
On 9 January 2026 at 08:00, the Pha Muang Task Force, through the 1st Cavalry Company of the Chaiyanuphab Special Unit, received a tip-off about drug trafficking in Wiang Haeng District, Chiang Mai. The unit deployed a team to patrol and monitor the area.
This was to prevent and intercept violations under the Narcotics Act B.E. 2564 (2021) near Ban Huai Khrai Mai, Village No. 4, Piang Luang Subdistrict, Wiang Haeng District, Chiang Mai Province.
At 23:30 on 11 January 2026, the unit spotted a suspicious group of about 15 to 20 individuals moving along the terrain. The soldiers identified themselves and requested to search them, but the group fired unknown firearms at the soldiers, resulting in a five-minute gunfight. The soldiers were unharmed.
Due to limited visibility at night, the unit could not clearly observe the area. They secured the scene to await daylight for further investigation.
At 07:00 on 12 January 2026, reinforcements of two additional teams arrived to inspect the site. They found one deceased suspect, arrested one suspect, seized one homemade rifle, and recovered 18 modified sacks.
Inside the sacks were approximately 3,980,000 methamphetamine pills, classified as a Category 1 narcotic.
At 13:00, Major General Satit Waiyanon, Commander of Pha Muang Task Force and Director of its Narcotics Prevention and Suppression Operations Center, assigned Colonel Maitree Srisantia, Chief of Staff of the task force, to represent him at a press briefing with relevant agencies about the drug seizure. The confiscated items were then handed over to Wiang Haeng Police Station for legal proceedings.
Following the incident, Major General Satit Waiyanon ordered local units to intensify ongoing efforts to intercept and suppress drug trafficking activities continuously.