Bueng kan: Naval Border Patrol officers intercepted a transnational drug trafficking network and seized 300 kg of crystal methamphetamine along the Mekong River in Bueng Kan Province. The Royal Thai Navy is continuing its proactive operation, with the Naval Border Patrol Command intercepting a transnational drug trafficking network and seizing 300 kg of crystal methamphetamine along the Mekong River in Bueng Kan Province.

According to Thai News Agency, Rear Admiral Parach Rattanachaiyapan, spokesperson for the Royal Thai Navy, revealed that the Mekong River Patrol Unit (MRPU) continues its proactive border security operations to intercept and dismantle transnational criminal networks, particularly drug trafficking rings. These networks pose a threat to national security, public safety, and the stability of border areas. Early this morning at 2:30 AM, the MRPU Nong Khai Area, specifically the Bueng Kan Naval Station, deployed patrols and surveillance along the Mekong River, a strategic route used by transnational drug trafficking rings to smuggle narcotics into Thailand.

During surveillance near Ban Khai Si, Khai Si Subdistrict, Mueang Bueng Kan District, Bueng Kan Province, officers detected suspicious movement of a group believed to be part of a drug trafficking network. When officers identified themselves and attempted to control the situation, the perpetrators used the darkness and terrain to escape across the border. However, officers were able to seize a large quantity of contraband, including six sacks of methamphetamine weighing approximately 300 kilograms in total, and a Honda Wave 110i motorcycle with a sidecar, without license plates, which is believed to have been used as a vehicle for smuggling the drugs from the border into inland areas.

This drug seizure is considered a strategic disruption of the trafficking chain of a transnational drug network, significantly reducing the network's ability to distribute drugs into Thai society. The seized methamphetamine, weighing approximately 300 kilograms, is estimated to be worth at least 100 million baht. If it had reached inland areas, it would have caused severe damage to youth, society, the economy, and national security. Following the seizure, the authorities brought all the confiscated items back to the Bueng Kan Naval Station for investigation, evidence collection, and intelligence gathering to link the perpetrators, supporters, and related networks.

The Royal Thai Navy affirmed its readiness to integrate forces with security and law enforcement agencies, continuing proactive operations along the border to counter transnational crime, protect national sovereignty and security, and build lasting confidence among the people in border areas.