This is the dramatic moment police chased drug mules delivering 243lbs of crystal meth through Thailand's northern border.

Authorities foiled the smuggling operation following a tip-off from an undercover officer that a pickup truck loaded with hard drugs was arriving through northern Chiang Mai province bordering Myanmar on November 16. They set up a checkpoint in front of the Nawai Police Station, where a grey Toyota Hilux Revo approached at around 9pm local time.

But instead of stopping for an inspection, the truck sped past the checkpoint, sparking a high-speed chase involving police, local soldiers, and Border Patrol officers.

Bodycam footage shows the intense pursuit as the officers exchanged gunfire with the suspects fleeing in the darkness.

The chase ended on the outskirts of a village, where the pickup truck was found abandoned on a remote road. The alleged mules were said to have escaped into the forest.

Police searched the truck and found nine sacks stuffed with 110 bags of crystal meth, each weighing 2.2lbs (1 kg).

Police Major General Thawatchai Pongwiwatanachai, commander of Chiang Mai Provincial Police, said in a November 18 press conference: 'We have identified the suspects and are seeking arrest warrants to dismantle their network.'

Authorities believe the drugs were smuggled over the border from a neighboring country and were destined for further distribution. The seized drugs and truck have been handed over to investigators.

Bloomberg citing data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported that a record 169 tonnes of methamphetamine was seized in Southeast Asia last year, 82 per cent of which came from the 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 notorious Chinese business tycoon and suspected crime boss Zhao Wei in the Chinese vassal state Laos. Communist chiefs are said to turn a Nelsonian eye to his wrongdoing.

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.