Soldiers kill 7 drug smugglers in firefight
10 sacks full of heroin, meth pills seized
CHIANG MAI: Army rangers killed seven drug smugglers and seized 10 rucksacks containing methamphetamines and heroin in a clash near the border in Mae Ai district shortly before dawn yesterday, a senior military officer said.
The rangers suffered no casualties in the firefight.
Maj Gen Jiradetch Kamolpetch, commander of the Pha Muang Task Force, said a 12-member patrol from the force’s 3024th Operations Unit spotted 15-20 men carrying guns and rucksacks in a forest near Ban Egor-arbae village in tambon Tah Ton about 5am.
The rangers challenged them and ordered them to stop for a search, but were met with a hail of bullets. A 15-minute gunfight followed, Maj Gen Jiradetch said.
The patrol scoured the area later in the morning and found seven dead men, an AK-47 assault rifle and 10 rucksacks. Four contained a total of 554,000 methamphetamine pills and six contained 43 plastic bags full of heroin.
The bags had the infamous “Double UO Globe” brand printed on them and the words “100% pure” in Chinese characters, Maj Gen Jiradetch said.
The combined weight of the heroin was 15 kilogrammes. The rangers also found 1kg of raw opium, he added.
The rangers believe several of the smugglers who got away were wounded in the firefight.
Bloodstains were found along a trail leading deeper into the forest and a manhunt is now ongoing to find them, the commander said.
The soldiers had been patrolling the area after receiving a tip-off that smugglers were planning to bring drugs through the forest this week to neighbouring Mae Chan district in Chiang Rai province, he added.
Meanwhile, Thai anti-narcotics officials yesterday met their Indonesian counterparts to sign a cooperation agreement for a coordinated illegal drug suppression programme.
Sirinya Sitthichai, secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), met the head of the Indonesia’s National Narcotics Board, Budi Waseso in Jakarta to discuss drug suppression plans between the two countries.
The meeting was aimed at boosting ties between the anti-narcotics agencies and fostering cooperation between the countries in drugs suppression and prevention.
Mr Sirinya said areas discussed at the meeting included cooperation in dealing with laws and regulations regarding illegal drugs, as well as sharing technology used in searching for and detecting drugs.
The discussions also included sharing information on drug abuse, addict rehabilitation and treatment programmes and sharing practical knowledge and experience.
Mr Sirinya said cooperation will allow anti-drugs officials from both countries to exchange ideas and increase engagement in drug-related programmes.
Indonesia showed an interest the philosophy behind the sufficiency economy philosophy initiated by His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Mr Sirinya said.
Indonesia wanted to apply it to boost the livelihoods of residents in Aceh, in Sumatra because it is the largest marijuana producing province in Indonesia, he said.