Border Patrol Police pursued a transnational drug trafficking network and arrested a 40-year-old man smuggling 316 kg of ice meth. He confessed to having done it twice before, each time receiving 250,000 baht from Laotian individuals.
At 13:30 on 7 May 2026, in the meeting room of the Border Patrol Police Region 2 Command, Khajornkiat Rakpanichmanee, Governor of Khon Kaen, together with Police Colonel Kanit Klinsrisuk, Deputy Commander of Border Patrol Police Region 2, Police Colonel Yosawat Kaewseubthanyanit, Superintendent of Muang Khon Kaen Police Station, Police Colonel Wongsakorn Wanchai, Superintendent of the Khon Kaen Provincial Police Investigation Division, and Lieutenant Colonel Komsan Nilsomboon, Head of the Intelligence Unit of Border Patrol Police Region 2, along with officers, held a press conference on the arrest of Mr. Samart, nicknamed Lek, aged 40, who was caught with 6 sacks of Category 1 narcotics (ice meth), totaling 316 kilograms, packaged in animal feed bags, and one gray car.
The arrest of the suspect with 316 kilograms of ice meth followed intelligence received on 6 May 2026 by the intelligence unit of Border Patrol Police Region 2, which learned from an informant that a drug trafficking group consisting of Laotian and Thai individuals was smuggling drugs from Bueng Kan province to Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province, using a gray car registered in Bangkok and traveling via Mittraphap Road (Highway 2). The intelligence unit coordinated with relevant agencies to investigate and discovered that the traffickers rented a sedan from a dealership in Nong Khai province, then drove it to Bueng Kan province before heading toward Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya.
Meanwhile, the intelligence unit of Border Patrol Police Region 2 set up roadblocks along the suspected drug trafficking route. At 23:30 on 6 May, officers spotted the sedan driving on Mittraphap Road heading into Khon Kaen city. They coordinated with the Khon Kaen Provincial Police Investigation Division and Muang Khon Kaen Police Station to intercept and search the vehicle.
The officers closely followed and tailed the car until it stopped by the roadside in Ban Kut Kwang, Muang Kao subdistrict, Muang district, Khon Kaen province. When the officers identified themselves and requested to search the vehicle, the driver opened the door and fled on foot. The officers pursued and captured him hiding in roadside grass. A search of the car found six black bags containing ice meth weighing approximately 316 kilograms. The driver was detained and identified as Mr. Samart, nicknamed Lek, aged 40.
Police Colonel Kanit Klinsrisuk, Deputy Commander of Border Patrol Police Region 2, stated that upon interrogation, the suspect said he was contacted by a Thai friend that Laotian individuals had hired him for 250,000 baht to deliver goods to customers in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya. He discussed details with the Laotian employers, who instructed him to rent a sedan to carry the goods. After renting the car, he was to park it by the Mekong River in Bueng Kan district, where the goods would be loaded into the vehicle. Then he was to drive to the destination and would receive 250,000 baht upon completion.
The suspect rented the sedan from a dealership in Nong Khai at 1,500 baht per day, then drove it to Bueng Kan. After the goods were loaded, he drove the sedan from Bueng Kan toward the destination, traveling on the main road without encountering any checkpoints. He continued until reaching Khon Kaen province, where police pursued and arrested him upon entering the city.
He admitted to having undertaken this job twice before, successfully completing both trips and receiving cash payments of 250,000 baht each time from the Laotian employers. He believed the third trip would have also succeeded, which is why he rented the car and accepted the job again, but was caught. The seized 316 kilograms of ice meth have an estimated value of 40 million baht in Thailand, and if exported abroad or to a third country, the price could be up to 20 times higher.
Khajornkiat Rakpanichmanee, Governor of Khon Kaen, said the joint arrest was a coordinated effort among all agencies under the government's strict anti-drug policy. Once intelligence indicated that an international drug trafficking group was preparing to transport a large shipment into the area, officials planned and executed the operation. The suspected vehicle was spotted passing through the Veluwan Police Station area in Muang district, Khon Kaen, traveling on Mittraphap Road, where joint forces closely tracked and followed it.
They arrested the suspect on the roadside of Mittraphap Road in Muang Kao subdistrict, Muang district, Khon Kaen. A search of the vehicle found four sacks of ice meth hidden inside and covered with blankets, and two more sacks concealed in the rear of the car. The Muang Khon Kaen Police Station will continue investigating to identify and arrest other individuals involved to prosecute them under the law.
After arrest, the suspect and evidence were handed over to the Muang Khon Kaen Police Station for prosecution on charges of trafficking Category 1 narcotics (methamphetamine or ice), possessing for sale with intent to distribute, an act that spreads among the public and threatens national security and public safety.