In Chaiyaphum, authorities joined forces to chase a drug trafficking vehicle carrying contraband from a neighboring country en route to Bangkok. Five suspects were arrested with 528 kilograms of ice found hidden. They confessed to receiving 500,000 baht for the job.
On 3 Aug 2026 GMT+7, reporter sources said that earlier this morning, Sergeant Major Pongrawee Yuangsuwan, Security Deputy District Chief, led forces from the Volunteer Defense Corps Company 2 in Mueang Chaiyaphum District to collaborate with the Central Narcotics Suppression Police and Ban Khai Police Station to raid and arrest two suspects involved in drugs. The suspects abandoned their vehicle and fled into the forested area of Ban Don Kwang, causing alarm among local residents in Mueang Chaiyaphum District.
Authorities then coordinated with the Provincial Defense, the Company Commander of the Volunteer Defense Corps in Chaiyaphum, Ban Khai Police Station, village headmen, and Village Security Volunteers to spread out urgently and search the area. Eventually, officers surrounded and captured the two suspects hiding in the sugarcane fields at Ban Don Kwang, Non Samran Subdistrict, Mueang Chaiyaphum District.
This arrest followed intelligence from the Central Narcotics Suppression Police that a transnational drug trafficking group from a neighboring country was using a route from Tha Li District, Loei Province, passing through Chaiyaphum Province toward Bangkok. The police coordinated with Chaiyaphum police and local administrative forces to set up a blockade. The suspects used two cars to transport the drugs. When they reached Ban Don Kwang, Non Samran Subdistrict, Mueang Chaiyaphum, officers intercepted the first car, which had three occupants: one male driver and two females.
The second car attempted to flee, prompting a pursuit. The suspects abandoned the vehicle and fled into the forest, where they were surrounded and apprehended. Two suspects were caught: one male and one LGBTQ individual, all from Udon Thani. Searching the vehicle uncovered 18 sacks filled with Chinese tea bags, each containing one-kilogram bags of ice, with 30 bags per sack, totaling approximately 528 kilograms. The confiscated drugs are valued at over 50 million baht.
Preliminary interrogation revealed that all suspects are key players in the drug network. They admitted receiving 500,000 baht for transporting the drugs this time. Authorities seized the evidence and transferred all suspects to the Narcotics Suppression Bureau for legal action and further investigation.