Police tracked and then arrested an LGBTQ+ gang transporting more than 3 million methamphetamine pills. The suspects claimed they were hired by a Lao financier to collect drugs along the Mekong River in Nakhon Phanom province, then stash them in Udon Thani before sending them on to Ayutthaya.
On 24 Aug 2026 in front of Border Patrol Police Company 237 (BPP 237), Chai Buri subdistrict, Tha Uthen district, Nakhon Phanom, Lieutenant Colonel Adisak Noisuwan, Governor of Nakhon Phanom, Police Major General Wutipong Yenjit, Commander of Border Patrol Police Region 2, Police Colonel Theerasak Phosrima, Commander of BPP 23, Air Force Colonel Itthipol Nonluecha, Deputy Director of Operations Section, Narcotics Suppression Bureau 24, Police Lieutenant Colonel Anusorn Saensing, Deputy Commander of BPP 23 and head of BPP Company 235, Police Lieutenant Colonel Rewat Champan, Commander of BPP Company 237, and security agencies held a press conference announcing the seizure of about 3,000,000 methamphetamine pills, two vehicles—a white Nissan X-TRAIL registered in Chonburi and a white-black Toyota Hilux Revo pickup registered in Bangkok—and eight mobile phones.
Six suspects were arrested: 1. Ms. Pilailak, 40, LGBTQ+ from Pathum Thani, team leader; 2. Ms. Saowaros, 31, LGBTQ+ from Udon Thani, driver; 3. Mr. Kreetha, 32, LGBTQ+ from Udon Thani, passenger; 4. Mr. Sumet, 31, from Samut Prakan, lead driver; 5. Mr. Narongdet, 27, from Samut Prakan; and 6. Mr. Suwichai, 32, from Nakhon Sawan—both passengers in the lead vehicle.
On 21 August 2026, Lieutenant Jaran Kaewkamsaen, head of the intelligence team at BPP Company 237, received a tip that from 18:00 onwards, a drug trafficking network would smuggle a large quantity of drugs from the border area between Bueng Kan and Nakhon Phanom provinces into inland areas of the country, though details were unclear.
Lieutenant Jaran ordered BPP Company 237's intelligence unit to heighten surveillance and prevention efforts against drug smuggling in the area. They coordinated with the Narcotics Suppression Bureau's technology unit to monitor suspicious vehicles entering the area using License Plate Recognition (LPR) cameras. They identified a suspicious white Nissan X-TRAIL from Chonburi entering Akat Amnuai district, Sakon Nakhon province, heading toward Si Songkhram district, Nakhon Phanom, and began monitoring the vehicle.
Around 5 a.m. on 22 August 2026, surveillance units in Si Songkhram district, Nakhon Phanom, spotted another suspicious vehicle: a white-black Toyota Hilux Revo pickup registered in Bangkok, acting as a lead or escort vehicle. The Nissan from Chonburi followed closely behind. Both vehicles drove on Highway 2390 (Na Phra Chai–Si Songkhram route) and appeared at Ban Patirup intersection, Si Songkhram subdistrict, heading into Si Songkhram town.
Observations showed the Nissan from Chonburi appeared heavily loaded, suggesting it might be carrying illegal items. Authorities tracked both vehicles as they turned into a resort in Si Songkhram municipality. Waiting for the right moment, officials entered to conduct a search and found six suspects seated outside their rooms, all of whom were detained.
During initial questioning, Ms. Saowaros admitted to being the team leader and driver of the Nissan. Opening the vehicle’s rear, officers found 14 suspicious sacks containing rectangular blocks wrapped in yellow waterproof wax paper marked with blue '999' symbols. Ms. Saowaros confessed these were methamphetamine pills and stated that she and her group of six had come to collect the drugs to store them in a warehouse in Udon Thani.
The suspects and seized items were taken to BPP Company 237 for further investigation. Counting revealed a total of 1,540 packages containing approximately 3,000,000 pills. Urine tests on all six suspects showed five tested positive for drugs, except for Mr. Narongdet, whose test was negative.
Ms. Saowaros also admitted she was contacted by 'Tao Tee,' a Lao financier, who arranged for someone to collect methamphetamine along the Mekong River in Nakhon Phanom. She recruited friends from the LGBTQ+ community and traveled from central provinces starting 17 August. Tao Tee’s Thai network transferred 25,000 baht for fuel but had not agreed on payment for the risk involved. They stayed at a resort in Si Songkhram municipality awaiting orders from Tao Tee to collect the drugs. They were unaware they were being tracked by authorities to their accommodation.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Anusorn Saensing, Deputy Commander of BPP 23 and head of BPP Company 235 in That Phanom district, said this case stems from arresting a Lao suspect with 218,000 methamphetamine pills at a sand pier in Tha Uthen district, Nakhon Phanom. The suspect provided useful information consistent with phone contacts, leading to collaboration with BPP 236 in Mueang Nakhon Phanom and BPP 237 in Tha Uthen to continuously track this transnational drug trafficking network, culminating in this seizure of 3 million pills.
Ms. Saowaros said she had never smuggled drugs in Nakhon Phanom before but had done so in Loei province and was previously arrested in Nong Khai province. This time, the plan was to store the drugs in Udon Thani before moving them to Ayutthaya, their final destination. However, their luck ran out, leading to the gang’s arrest.
Authorities charged all suspects with jointly distributing a Category 1 narcotic (methamphetamine) with intent to sell, an act causing drug proliferation among the public and impacting national security and public safety.