Nakhon phanom: A unit from the 6th Tha Uthen District Volunteer Defense Corps, known as "Nakhon Phanom 24," successfully seized 500 kg of crystal methamphetamine in Tha Uthen, as suspects managed to escape back to Laos.
According to Thai News Agency, the operation involved the Narcotics Suppression and Interdiction Command, Precursor Chemicals and Drugs Division, Northeastern Border Region (NSCC 24). Officers from the Nakhon Phanom Provincial Narcotics Suppression Center, along with the Tha Uthen District Narcotics Suppression Center (Tha Uthen District NSC) and the Tha Uthen District Volunteer Defense Corps Company 6 (Tha Uthen District VDC Company 6), worked alongside other security forces to intercept a drug trafficking operation across the Mekong River. The seized methamphetamine, weighing over 500 kilograms, holds significant value. Upon sensing the impending arrest, the suspects fled back to Laos.
The operation, conducted on the evening of April 24th, was directed by the 24th Narcotics Suppression Bureau, with the main operational unit from the 6th District Volunteer Defense Corps of Tha Uthen District, in coordination with local security agencies. Officers were deployed to monitor the area following a tip-off about narcotics smuggling across the Mekong River near Ban Tha Uthen, Tha Uthen Subdistrict, Tha Uthen District, Nakhon Phanom Province. They observed a suspicious boat from the neighboring country carrying two individuals who unloaded sacks onto the riverbank. When officers revealed their identity and attempted to inspect the sacks, the individuals fled back to their boat and returned to the Lao PDR side.
Authorities searched the area and discovered 12 sacks containing a Category 1 narcotic, methamphetamine, totaling approximately 500 kilograms. The drugs were seized as evidence and initially stored at the Tha Uthen District Office for a detailed count before being handed over to the investigators at the Tha Uthen Police Station for legal proceedings. Authorities are actively pursuing the perpetrators. This incident highlights the ongoing attempts of drug trafficking rings to exploit the Mekong River border as a smuggling route, prompting increased patrols and interception efforts by authorities.