Last week, a patrol team from the Thai military engaged in a gun battle with an alleged drug trafficking gang before killing five members and seizing over 500,000 methamphetamine pills in Thailand’s Chiang Rai province near the Golden Triangle.
The military group was patrolling the region near the Thai-Laos-Myanmar border in Chiang Rai province when they came across a group of around seven or eight individuals carrying backpacks and heading to a local village.
When the patrol unit attempted to stop the men to check their bags, they pulled out their guns and opened fire to try and escape.
The clash lasted about five minutes and although no one from the Thai military was injured, five of the suspects were killed in the conflict.
After inspecting the scene, police seized a gun, and five bags each carrying around 100,000 methamphetamine pills, from the group’s possession.
An officer with the Task Force, Mr. Premchai Premkamol told AFP, “Narcotics have been very prevalent [at the border] but recently there has been an order from the commander to step up law enforcement efforts.”
Last month, a gun battle also broke out between Thai military personnel and a group of drug smugglers in Chiang Mai province close to the Golden Triangle which resulted in the death of 15.
