Narcotics police arrested a Lisu man smuggling 589,800 methamphetamine pills by modifying a car to create a secret compartment beneath the luggage space to hide the drugs.
On 15 Nov 2026, Police Lieutenant General Phumin Phumpanmuang, Commander of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, ordered Police Major General Withat Borirak, Commander of the Special Operations Division, Police Colonel Mongkol Aomsap, Superintendent of Division 3, along with Deputy Superintendents Police Lieutenant Colonel Thaksin Ngerntong and Police Lieutenant Colonel Supavet Mungkang, to lead the operation arresting Mr. Ah Cheu, 43, Mr. Somchai, 44, and Mr. Anupong, 23, on charges of jointly distributing Category 1 narcotics (methamphetamine) by possessing them for sale without a license, an act intended for commercial purposes that causes widespread harm to the public and impacts national security and public safety.
Seized evidence included approximately 589,800 methamphetamine pills; a white Hyundai Sonata sedan registered in Bangkok; a gray Honda City sedan registered in Chiang Mai; and a gray Isuzu D-Max pickup truck registered in Bangkok.
Mr. Ah Cheu was arrested at the Payuhakiri vehicle checkpoint on Phahonyothin Road, Yan Matree Subdistrict, Payuhakiri District, Nakhon Sawan province. Mr. Somchai was apprehended on the old Phahonyothin Road, Hua Diad Subdistrict, Mueang Tak District, and Mr. Anupong was caught at the Mae Tho checkpoint on Highway 12 (Mae Sot–Mueang Tak route), Mae Tho Subdistrict, Mueang Tak District.
This arrest followed intelligence from the Special Operations Division that the three suspects, members of the Lisu ethnic group in Chiang Mai, were smuggling narcotics using a Hyundai vehicle from Mae Ai district, Chiang Mai, to deliver to clients in Bangkok and surrounding areas during 13–14 Nov 2026. Authorities closely monitored the vehicle's movements.
The arrest team observed the three vehicles alternating speeds to detect any police pursuit before accelerating to evade capture. Narcotics police coordinated with highway police to intercept and arrest Mr. Ah Cheu at the Payuhakiri vehicle checkpoint on Phahonyothin Road, Yan Matree Subdistrict, Payuhakiri District, Nakhon Sawan province. An X-ray inspection of the vehicle revealed narcotics hidden in a secret compartment beneath the rear luggage area, confirming the seizure of the methamphetamine pills. Following this, Mr. Somchai and Mr. Anupong were also apprehended.
During interrogation, Mr. Ah Cheu confessed to collecting methamphetamine from Mae Taeng district, Chiang Mai, to deliver to clients designated by his employer in Nakhon Sawan province. He stated he would park the vehicle at locations instructed by the employer and was paid 50,000 baht for the job. Mr. Somchai and Mr. Anupong denied the charges. All suspects were taken to Payuhakiri Police Station, Nakhon Sawan Provincial Police, for legal action, with investigations ongoing to identify other accomplices.