The chairman of a Subdistrict Administrative Organization (SAO) Council in Nakhon Phanom was caught red-handed with 400,000 methamphetamine pills while walking down to the Mekong River to carry sacks of drugs. The drugs were to be temporarily stored in a cowshed awaiting transport inland. Initial details are withheld, but the suspect has an extraordinary background as a key network figure on both sides of the Mekong. His wife has been imprisoned on drug charges. Authorities are intensifying investigations to identify accomplices in the area.
On 30 July 2026 at the 2102 Ranger Company in Ban Napiang, Chai Buri Subdistrict, Tha Uthen District, Nakhon Phanom, Mr. Prakongsak Khanpiakaew, Tha Uthen District Chief, together with Lieutenant Colonel Arkom Khamchullara, commander of the 2102 Ranger Company, and local administrative officials announced the arrest of a major transnational methamphetamine trafficking network member, Mr. Siwat Saengba, also known as Aoi, 49, from Ban Hatsaipe, Village 5, Nong Tao Subdistrict, Tha Uthen District, Nakhon Phanom. He is currently a member and chairman of the Nong Tao SAO Council. Officials seized two fertilizer sacks containing a total of 400,000 methamphetamine pills.
The arrest followed intelligence revealing the suspect's long-term involvement in drug trafficking as a key network member. He arranged for methamphetamine to be stored along the Mekong River border in Nakhon Phanom before transporting it inland. During a patrol stakeout, officers spotted the suspect walking down to the Mekong River to carry sacks of methamphetamine that traffickers had hidden along the border. The drugs were to be moved to a cowshed in Ban Hatsaipe, Nong Tao Subdistrict, Tha Uthen District, Nakhon Phanom.
Officials confronted the suspect, who attempted to flee and denied involvement. However, the evidence was undeniable, leading to his detention for interrogation and further investigation. He initially confessed to being hired for the task but did not provide further details.
Authorities plan to continue their investigation to track and prosecute network collaborators under the law. Information identifies the suspect as a major trafficker who arranged for several hundred thousand methamphetamine pills to be stored at a time in exchange for fees amounting to hundreds of thousands of baht.
Background checks on Mr. Siwat Saengba, aka Aoi, 49, reveal he was a former village headman of Ban Hatsaipe, Village 5, Nong Tao Subdistrict, Tha Uthen District, Nakhon Phanom. He was involved in drug trafficking, transporting methamphetamine from Laos to inland areas. His role was to temporarily store drugs at border points along the Mekong River awaiting transport.
After resigning as village headman, he successfully ran for Nong Tao SAO Council member in 2023 and is currently serving his second term as chairman of the council. It is believed he exploited his local political base to secure his position and conceal drug trafficking activities to generate income. His wife was previously imprisoned for drug possession several years ago.