Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Bangkok Post
Bangkok Post
National

Drug couriers killed, 300kg ketamine seized near border

Soldiers at the scene of their gunfight with drug couriers in Fang district of Chiang Mai province on Monday. (Photo supplied/ Panumet Tanraksa)

CHIANG MAI: Six drug smugglers were killed and 300 kilogrammes of ketamine seized in a clash between soldiers and armed men in Fang district, which borders Shan State in Myanmar, on Monday.

Maj Gen Suparerk Sathapornpol, commander of the army's Pha Muang Force, said a patrol of rangers from the 3rd Army's operations centre and troops from the 4th Cavalry early on Monday spotted 15-20 armed men carrying backpacks walking through forest near Ban Pang Tong village in tambon Mon Pin, Fang district.

The parol called on them to stop for a search, and they responded with gunfire. The soldiers retaliated. The gunfight lasted about 10 minutes.

There were no casualties on the government side. Later in the afternoon, the soldiers scoured the area and found the bodies of six men killed in the clash. They also found and seized 19 abandoned backpacks containing 300kg of ketamine, three shotguns and four mobile phones.

As the soldiers continued to clear the area they spotted two or three men, believed to be smugglers, hiding in a creek. The men fled, escaping into the rugged terrain.

The drugs and other items seized in the clash were taken to Fang police station for legal processing.

A ranger finds a bag containing shotgun ammunition at the scene of a clash between soldiers and durg smugglers in the northern border province of Chiang Mai on Monday. (Photo supplied/  Panumet Tanraksa)
Backpacks and weapons found after the  clash with drug smugglers. (Photo supplied/  Panumet Tanraksa)
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.