Pa Daet Police in Chiang Rai intercepted a suspicious taxi carrying 2.2 million methamphetamine pills concealed beneath the seat and footrest, covered with cloth fashioned as a child's bedding to deceive officers.
At 09:00 on 9 May 2026, Pol. Col. Manop Senakul, Commander of Chiang Rai Police, reported that on 8 May, Pol. Lt. Col. Supakit Siriprapawat, Deputy Superintendent of Pa Daet Police, led a patrol unit to set up a Frog-jump drug checkpoint on a secondary road between Pa Daet and Chun districts. They found a pink Toyota Altis taxi with Bangkok license plate ทฬ—3794 driven by Apichat Fukyaem, 49, from Lat Lum Kaeo Subdistrict, Pathum Thani Province. Two children, a boy and a girl aged 7-8, were also in the car. At the checkpoint, Apichat acted nervously and suspiciously, prompting officers to signal the vehicle to stop for inspection.
During the search, officers found sacks of methamphetamine pills placed on the seat and footrest, covered with cloth made to serve as bedding for the two children to deceive authorities. The trunk also contained sacks holding methamphetamine. In total, nine sacks were found containing 2,200,000 pills.
Pol. Col. Manop Senakul, Commander of Chiang Rai Police, revealed that upon interrogation, suspect Apichat Fukyaem confessed to collecting the methamphetamine from the border area. He traveled via the bypass road through Chiang Saen District and secondary routes to avoid the Kiu Thapyang checkpoint in Mae Chan District, passing through Pa Daet District, Chiang Rai Province, then Chun and Dok Khamtai Districts in Phayao Province, to deliver the drugs to the central region. The client contacts him by phone with delivery instructions. Authorities are continuing investigations to apprehend accomplices involved in this drug trafficking operation for prosecution.
