This is the dramatic moment cops chased two suspected drug dealers through a farm in northern Thailand.

Border patrol police raided the plantation following a tip-off about a cross-border drug smuggling operation in Phayao on Wednesday.

When they arrived at the scene, they found a parked Isuzu pickup truck with two men 'acting suspiciously'. The pair reportedly bolted into the forest, sparking an adrenalin-fuelled chase as officers gave chase.

Footage shows one suspect sprinting through the undergrowth as police fired warning shots. He stumbled on uneven terrain, allowing law enforcers to catch up to him.

Another man was caught after slipping into a ditch.

Officials identified the suspects as Kriangkrai Wichaino, 34, and Thanakrit Suya, 27. They were arrested with 3,630 meth pills.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Wisith Khamya, chief of Border Patrol Police Company 323, said: '‘We charged them both for jointly distributing Category 1 narcotics by possessing them for unauthorised sale.

‘We handed over both suspects and the seized items to the inquiry officer of Maeka Police Station for further legal action.'

Meth is classified as a category 1 substance in Thailand.

Under Thai law, using category 1 substances may be punished with up to three years in jail and a fine of up to 60,000 baht, while possession carries a fine of up to 200,000 baht and up to 10 years imprisonment.

Those convicted of dealing may face life imprisonment and a five million baht fine, depending on the amount involved. Producers, importers, and exporters of Category 1 substances face the same charges and may face the death penalty if it is proven their intent was to sell or distribute on a large scale.

Thailand's northern region sits on the edge of the notorious 'Golden Triangle' region, where its borders with neighbouring Myanmar and Laos meet.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said an explosive growth of illegal drug production in the area led to a record 236 tons of meth seized in East and Southeast Asia in 2024.

Benedikt Hofmann, UNODC Acting Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said: 'The 236 tons represent only the amount seized; much more methamphetamine is actually reaching the market.'

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.