BANGKOK, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Another major haul of 7.2 million tablets of methamphetamine was smuggled across the Thai-Myanmar border and was seized by authorities in northern Thailand on Saturday, said an army commander.
The alleged trafficking of the 7.2 million pills of methamphetamine and 50 kg of crystal methamphetamine on board a pickup truck was stopped by the Thai military and police on a road in Wiang Chiang Rung district of Chiang Rai province, about 800 km north of Bangkok, in wee hours of Saturday, according to the Third Army Region commander Lt. Gen. Wijak Siribansop.
The unidentified trafficking suspects managed to escape, leaving behind their vehicle just before they reached the road checkpoint and the methamphetamine which would have brought about 800 million baht (about 25.5 million U.S. dollars) in sales at a black market, the army region commander said.
The drugs, bearing brand names Y1 and 999, were believed to have been produced by Wa ethnic rebels in northern Myanmar, Lt. Gen. Wijak said.
Besides the latest haul of 7.2 million tablets of methamphetamine, a total of 9.4 million speed pills and 788 kilos of crystal meth have been seized from suspected drug traffickers, including six who were extra-judicially killed by the authorities in the northern Thai province since last month, he said.
