Man Arrested in Northeast Thailand With 108,000 Methamphetamine Pills
Man Arrested in Northeast Thailand With 108,000 Methamphetamine Pills
Bueng Kan, Feb. 11, 2026 — Police in northeast Thailand have arrested a 35-year-old man after seizing 108,000 methamphetamine pills and an illegal firearm in what authorities say is part of a wider trafficking network operating along the Mekong River.
The suspect was stopped on Feb. 5 while driving a red Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck along Highway 212 in Bueng Kan province, police said. Officers acted on intelligence indicating that a shipment of drugs had entered Thailand from across the Mekong River.
A search of the vehicle uncovered a black plastic bag containing 108,000 methamphetamine pills hidden behind the driver’s seat. Police also found a modified firearm loaded with 16 rounds concealed inside the vehicle.
Investigators said the suspect admitted he had been hired to deliver the drugs to Ban Phue district in Udon Thani province in exchange for 30,000 baht ($830). He also tested positive for methamphetamine, authorities said.
The man faces charges including possession and trafficking of Category 1 narcotics, driving under the influence of drugs, and illegal possession of a firearm.
Police Major General Phumphat Pattarasriwongchai, commander of the Provincial Police Region 4 Investigation Division, said authorities believe the arrest is linked to a broader network smuggling drugs across the Mekong River into Thailand’s northeastern interior.
Thailand remains a major transit hub for narcotics produced in the Golden Triangle, where it borders Laos and Myanmar. Much of the region’s methamphetamine is believed to originate in Myanmar’s Shan State before being trafficked onward to regional and international markets.
