Authorities intercepted a man working as a methamphetamine courier carrying 80,000 pills while traveling with his family in Nong Khai. Surprisingly, his mother also tested positive in a drug urine test, claiming she tried it for the first time out of curiosity.
At 12:00 PM on 8 April 2026, Lieutenant Colonel Jeerasak Kamwanet, head of the Narcotics Suppression Unit at Border Patrol Police Company 24, Seneeronyut Camp, Udon Thani province, revealed that his team had learned that Narongchai, or Maew, 29, from Nakhon Phanom, was involved in smuggling drugs from border provinces into inner provinces. He used a bronze Mitsubishi Pajero registered in Bangkok to transport methamphetamine. The team also learned that Narongchai was driving this vehicle in Sangkhom district, Nong Khai province, prompting them to investigate and track him.
On the morning of 7 April, Narongchai drove from a resort toward Nam Som district, Udon Thani. Police followed and saw the vehicle heavily loaded, carrying two women and one boy. When it reached the Ban Klang Yai–Phak Bung route in Ban Phue district, Udon Thani, police intercepted the vehicle and searched it, finding 83,890 methamphetamine pills in a suitcase. Inside the vehicle were Narongchai, his 20-year-old wife Fern, their 4-year-old son, and Narongchai's 51-year-old mother Wannisa, or Boom. All were taken into custody with the evidence for interrogation.
Drug urine tests showed that both Narongchai and Boom had purple-colored urine. Upon checking Boom's mobile phone, messages linking her to the drug trafficking network were found. Authorities charged Narongchai and Boom, son and mother, with possession of Category 1 narcotics (methamphetamine) with intent to distribute, illegal use of Category 1 narcotics (methamphetamine), and charged Narongchai additionally with driving under the influence of drugs.
During interrogation, Narongchai admitted he had worked at a car wash and was previously arrested for possessing and using methamphetamine, serving a 3-month sentence. Later, he met a man named Boss (real surname unknown), a Thai living in a neighboring country, who contacted him to smuggle methamphetamine and crystal meth from the Mekong River border to various provinces. His first job paid 50,000 baht. This time, Narongchai claimed he did not intend to smuggle drugs but was traveling with his wife, son, and mother to Sangkhom, Nong Khai. While staying at a resort, Boss called to hire him to transport 150 kilograms of crystal meth, but Narongchai refused because he was with family and his vehicle lacked space. Boss then asked him to transport methamphetamine instead.
Narongchai continued that on the evening of 6 April, he told his wife, who was resting with their son at the resort, that he was going to buy something at a convenience store. He then drove to collect the methamphetamine from a rubber plantation in Sangkhom. The meth was packed in bags and loaded into the vehicle. He received 10,000 baht upfront, with the remaining 30,000 baht to be transferred after the job was done.
After obtaining the methamphetamine, Narongchai returned to the rented resort. At 4:00 AM on 7 April, he left with his family heading to the delivery point in Chaiyaphum province. He believed traveling with his family would deflect police attention. His wife and mother did not know he was smuggling methamphetamine.
Narongchai described that when driving on the Ban Klang Yai–Phak Bung road in Ban Phue district, Udon Thani, under construction with slow traffic and trucks ahead, police intercepted and searched the vehicle. Fearing a drug urine test because he had used methamphetamine, he let his wife drive, then opened the door for police to search, who found the methamphetamine.
The incident shocked his wife and mother, while their son cried loudly. Narongchai admitted he brought his family on the trip but accepted the drug transportation job after Boss contacted him. His mother and wife were not involved. Boom’s phone was used to contact the drug network because Narongchai’s phone battery was dead.
Wannisa, or Boom, 51, from Nakhon Phanom and Narongchai’s mother, confessed that her son invited her to celebrate Songkran in Sangkhom. She went with the family and did not suspect her son’s drug courier job. Regarding her purple urine drug test, she admitted to trying methamphetamine, about half a pill, at the resort after getting it from her son. She claimed it was her first time trying and that she knew her son used meth because he had been previously arrested and jailed for three months for possession and use. She did not expect her son to be involved in such a large drug operation and regretted being caught up in it.
Narongchai felt remorseful for causing his mother’s arrest. He knelt to apologize to her tearfully. His mother hugged him and forgave him. They embraced, crying loudly. Police took the suspects and evidence to the Ban Klang Yai Police Station, Ban Phue district, Udon Thani, to proceed with legal action.