Soldiers seized 480,000 meth pills from suspected drug smugglers in Thailand.

Troops patrolling the border at Tak province clashed with a group of five gunmen carrying backpacks through a forested area late evening on May 11.

Major General Praphat Phobsuwa, commander of the Pha Muang Task Force, said the individuals opened fire at them, sparking a five-minute gunfight. No soldiers were injured.

Due to poor visibility, the inspection of the scene was postponed until May 12 morning, with two additional army units sent to secure the vicinity.

Officials found four backpacks containing a total of 480,000 methamphetamine pills. The drugs have been handed over to the Mae Sai Police Station for inspection.

Major General Praphat said: 'The Pha Muang Task Force has been rigorously patrolling the border since the Songkran Festival. We anticipated that drug smuggling networks might exploit the festivities to smuggle drugs from neighbouring countries. 

'Even after the festival season, we continue our efforts to prevent the smuggling of illegal items across the border.'

He added that since October 2023, the army has intercepted 107.2 million amphetamine pills in 30 separate incidents. The number surpasses the 42 million pills confiscated throughout the entire fiscal year 2023.

Thailand has become a notorious hub for drug production and trafficking. In the north of the country, the ‘Golden Triangle' area shares borders with Laos and Myanmar, and has produced large amounts of opium since the 1950s but focus in recent years has shifted to the more profitable methamphetamine.

Officials believe most of the meth is produced in the Shan State of Myanmar before being distributed through neighbouring countries where prices are higher before ending up in the most expensive markets of Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore.