Hat Yai Police Station officers chased a pickup truck carrying methamphetamine that broke through a checkpoint over 150 kilometers from Hat Yai to Phatthalung. The truck crashed into a utility pole and was abandoned by suspects. Authorities seized 2 million meth pills worth 60 million baht. Amulets including a ritual knife and an ancient plowhead believed to grant protection were found inside the vehicle.
Hat Yai Police Station in Songkhla Province seized 2 million methamphetamine pills valued at 60 million baht, one of the largest seizures this year. The drugs were being transported in a pickup truck that encountered a police checkpoint and fled. Officers pursued the vehicle from Hat Yai District to Pa Phayom District in Phatthalung Province, covering approximately 150 kilometers. The truck lost control and crashed into a utility pole. The two suspects abandoned the vehicle, fleeing on foot and leaving behind the drugs and amulets including a ritual knife and an ancient plowhead believed to be enchanted for protection but failed to evade capture.
At 1:00 a.m. on 23 June 2026, the crime suppression unit and narcotics task force from Hat Yai Police Station, led by Police Colonel Macha Kaewthong, Chief of Hat Yai Police Station, and Deputy Superintendent Adinan Wongmadtong, set up a checkpoint on the Asian Highway, both inbound and outbound lanes, opposite a village in Khuan Lang Subdistrict, Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province.
A brown Toyota Hilux Tiger pickup truck with Phatthalung license plates, loaded with sacks in the bed, approached on Phetkasem Road, the old Hat Yai-Rattaphum route. Upon reaching the checkpoint, police signaled for the vehicle to stop. Inside were two men, a driver and a passenger, approximately 30-40 years old. The driver accelerated and fled, breaking through the checkpoint and heading toward Phatthalung Province along the Asian Highway. Police pursued closely until reaching the Khuan Tabak-Hua Non intersection, Ban Khlong Yai, Village 4, Ko Tao Subdistrict, Pa Phayom District, Phatthalung Province, about 150 kilometers away. The pickup lost control and crashed into a roadside utility pole. Unable to continue, the two men quickly opened the doors and fled into the forest under cover of darkness.
A search of the vehicle found methamphetamine concealed in six sacks in the truck bed and four sacks inside the cabin, totaling 2 million pills valued at 60 million baht, along with mobile phones, a pair of sandals, and several other seized items.
Authorities also discovered amulets inside the vehicle, including a ritual knife and a plowhead talisman—an object made from the head of an ancient farming plow. These items had been consecrated, gilded, and imbued with spiritual power, believed to transform misfortune into fortune and help overcome obstacles. Such charms are commonly carried for good luck. It is suspected the suspects carried these amulets to protect themselves from arrest but were unsuccessful.
The vehicle's registered owner has been identified as residing in Lan Khoi Subdistrict, Pa Phayom District, Phatthalung Province. Police are currently seeking to summon the owner for questioning regarding involvement in this drug shipment. Forensic officers from Crime Scene Investigation Center 9 are examining latent fingerprints and other evidence inside the vehicle to gather leads for apprehending the two suspects who fled.
This afternoon, Police Lieutenant General Archan Jansiri, Special Expert of the Royal Thai Police and Acting Deputy Commander of Region 9 Police, held a press conference about the seizure of the 2 million methamphetamine pills. He stated that the drugs, valued at 60 million baht, appeared to be en route for delivery at a meeting point in Hat Yai District. The pills were openly loaded in the truck bed and inside the cabin without concealment or covering. Police checkpoints at Hat Yai Police Station detected the vehicle, prompting the suspects to flee. Authorities are now expanding the investigation to collect evidence and arrest all involved, including the two men transporting the drugs and their accomplices at both the origin and destination points.