Nakhon Sawan highway police stopped a pickup truck loaded with cucumbers passing into their area. The driver appeared suspicious, so officers sent the vehicle through an X-ray scanner at the Phayuha Khiri vehicle checkpoint, where they were shocked to find a huge batch of 10 million methamphetamine pills hidden inside the cucumbers.
On the morning of 13 February 2026, reporters learned that the Nakhon Sawan Highway Police Command, led by Police Lieutenant Colonel Wachira Amrit, Superintendent of Highway Police Station 4, Division 1, and Police Captain Narawit Dechkong, Chief of Highway Police Station 4, Division 1, announced the arrest of a major drug trafficking network. The highway police had intercepted a large batch of over 10 million methamphetamine pills concealed within cucumbers on Phahonyothin Road in Nakhon Sawan, valued at more than 500 million baht.
This operation followed a crackdown policy instructing highway police to strictly block drug trafficking along highways. After receiving a tip-off about drugs being transported through Nakhon Sawan Province, officers set up surveillance along the route.
At 23:40 on 12 February 2026, highway police spotted a gray Isuzu D-Max pickup truck fitted with a metal cage covered by a tarp, obscuring its contents, driving on Highway 1 at kilometer 355 in Nong Krot Subdistrict, Mueang Nakhon Sawan District. When stopped for inspection, the driver claimed he was carrying cucumbers but appeared suspicious, so officers sent the vehicle for an X-ray scan at the Phayuha Khiri vehicle checkpoint.
Under the pile of cucumbers, officers found methamphetamine wrapped in wax-coated paper packages stamped with “UFO 999” (80 packs), and others stamped with “F35” and “Ruang Khao” (20 packs), totaling 100 packs or approximately 10 million pills. Chemical testing with Marquis Reagent confirmed the substance was methamphetamine.
The suspect, 30-year-old Kriangkrai Sae Yang from Tak Province, was arrested. During interrogation, he admitted being hired to transport drugs from Phop Phra District, Tak Province, to Rim Ping Market in Bang Muang Subdistrict, Mueang Nakhon Sawan District, using a route that avoided checkpoints. He said he was paid 4,000 baht.
Initially, authorities charged him with "trafficking category 1 narcotics by possessing for sale, an act for commercial purposes causing drug spread among the public and affecting state security." He was detained along with the evidence and handed over to investigators at Division 4, Crime Suppression Division, to proceed with prosecution and expand the investigation to arrest more network members.
The Highway Police Command warned those considering smuggling illegal goods that officers currently employ strict inspection measures and modern technology. No form of concealment can escape detection. Those caught face severe penalties, losing their freedom and future.