Patrol officers apprehended a bold ten-wheeler truck driver who hid over 4.7 million methamphetamine pills while fleeing police but ultimately lost control and fell into a canal in Lopburi Province. Officials seized evidence and assets valued at more than 150 million baht.
At 14:30 on 24 Jan 2025 GMT+7, Pol. Lt. Gen. Siam Boonsom, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, along with Pol. Maj. Gen. Theeradej Thammasuthi, Deputy Commissioner, Pol. Maj. Gen. Worawit Yannajinda, Commander of the Special Operations Division, Pol. Col. Denla Rattanakit, Deputy Commander of the Special Operations Division, Pol. Col. Ekaphop Likittanasombat, Chief of Patrol Division, Pol. Lt. Col. Wasuthep Jaiin, Deputy Chief of Patrol Division, Pol. Lt. Col. Satawut Khonchum, Deputy Chief of Patrol Division, Pol. Col. Thanakorn Onthongkham, Deputy Commander of the Special Operations Division, and military intelligence units from the Army held a press conference at the Special Operations Patrol Command, Metropolitan Police Bureau, announcing the arrest of a major drug trafficking network and seizure of 4.7 million methamphetamine pills.
The police received a tip from an informant that the suspect would drive a ten-wheeler truck to pick up drugs in Chiang Mai Province and deliver them to customers in inner Thailand. Investigations revealed the truck heading from Chiang Mai towards the central region.
Police, along with military intelligence from the Army, positioned themselves in Nakhon Sawan Province. They observed the ten-wheeler truck behaving suspiciously and taking a detour along a remote road near Maharat Canal in Lopburi Province. Officers suspected the truck was delivering drugs to customers by the canal before revealing themselves and making the arrest.
Initially, officers arrested Somjit (surname withheld), 41, who admitted this was his second time transporting drugs; he previously earned 300,000 baht for the first job. Inside the truck, ginger used to disguise the cargo and Class 1 narcotics (methamphetamine) were found scattered and floating in the canal—21 sacks totaling over 4 million pills. He was charged with selling Class 1 narcotics and possession for sale without permission.
A search resulted in the seizure of 21 sacks of methamphetamine totaling approximately 4,790,000 pills, one white Isuzu ten-wheeler truck, and two mobile phones. The total value of seized evidence and assets is about 150 million baht.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Worawit stated that this operation was a result of ongoing investigations following a prior arrest of a drug suspect in Sena District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province. It was found that the drug transport vehicle concealed narcotics by carrying agricultural products such as ginger, as well as basic goods like corn or rice, to evade police inspection.
Investigations indicate the network uses storage points in the central region to distribute drugs into Bangkok. Past seizures and arrests have mostly occurred in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani provinces, which are major routes leading into Bangkok.
