Police seized 1,000 lbs of crystal meth hidden in fruit shipments in northern Thailand.

The suspects - named by police as Chakkapong, 45, Yutthapong, 39, Aedoi, 45, and Taweesak, 26 - allegedly concealed the contraband in cantaloupe fruit baskets destined for the country's central region.

Police Major General Manop Senakul, commander of the Chiang Rai Provincial Police, said cops raided their warehouse and arrested them in Chiang Rai province on November 5, following a tip-off about a drug smuggling gang in the area.

He said: 'We received information that a drug trafficking gang was using a pickup truck to deliver drugs from Chiang Rai Province. We worked with relevant agencies to monitor the situation until the target vehicle was spotted driving along Phahonyothin Road, bordering Phayao Province.'

The suspects reportedly met up at a large fruit market in Chiang Rai province before driving to the warehouse to load empty fruit baskets with cantaloupes supplied by their relatives. The drugs were then stuffed in plastic bags stacked under the fruits.

Authorities said they seized 1,038 lbs of crystal meth at the scene. The men's grey Toyota pickup truck and a white pickup truck were also impounded.

The four men were charged with possession of category I narcotics for distribution.

According to Thai law, carrying Category I drugs, including LSD and ecstasy, for 'disposal or possession for the purpose of disposal', has a maximum punishment of the death sentence or life in prison. The most severe punishments are reserved for those who 'produce of import' the substances, while simply possessing the drugs can land offenders in jail for up to 10 years.

Dealing the lesser Category 2 drugs, which include cocaine and ketamine, can carry a life sentence while possession alone has a punishment of five years.

Chiang Rai province is near the notorious Golden Triangle - a hotbed of criminal activity where the borders of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar meet.

At the heart of the Golden Triangle lies the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (GTSEZ), run by Chinese business tycoon and suspected crime boss Zhao Wei in the Chinese vassal state Laos.

In 2007, Zhao brokered a deal with the Laos government and obtained a 99-year lease to build the zone on a 39-square mile patch of impoverished Bokeo province.

The Chinese businessman claims to be a benefactor as he touts the GTSEZ as a tourist and economic hub designed to bring more income and investments into the country. However, both local and international law enforcement agencies believe it is a front for organised crime, including human trafficking, drug trafficking, and call-centre scams.

International authorities have struggled to take down the gambling empire as the Laos government itself is said to be protecting the GTSEZ, in which it has a 20 per cent stake.