Udon thani: A drug gang crashed their car into the median strip in Ban Dung District, Udon Thani Province. Officials were shocked to find 450 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine hidden in bags in the back of the vehicle. The occupants of the vehicle took advantage of the chaos to escape.
According to Thai News Agency, the incident occurred last night at 10:30 PM. Officials received a report of a car accident where a vehicle lost control and crashed into the Ban Lao Udom roundabout in Ban Chan Subdistrict, Ban Dung District, Udon Thani Province. At the scene, a multi-purpose vehicle was found with the front end badly damaged, and the driver was not found at the scene.
Initially, officers searched the back seat of the vehicle and were stunned to find nine sacks tightly packed in the back. Inside, they discovered 448 clear plastic wrappers and blue leopard-print bags, weighing over 448 kilograms. Inside the sacks were white crystals resembling ice. They also found the ID card of a 17-year-old Mr. Suthichok from Phon Phisai District, Nong Khai Province. He had a history of three drug offenses. The license plate of the car belonged to a 20-year-old Mr. Kantapong from the same subdistrict, who also had a history of four drug offenses. Witnesses who witnessed the incident said they saw the driver and two passengers flee the vehicle, only to be picked up by another vehicle and quickly driven away. Officers are currently expanding their investigation.
Pol. Col. Pongpan Nakhwa, Superintendent of Ban Dung Police Station, revealed that officers have seized all the confiscated items as a criminal case and sent them for forensic examination. He has also ordered investigators to pursue those involved. He believes this case involves a large-scale drug trafficking operation involving networks in several provinces. Authorities suspect the car was driven at high speed and, upon reaching a roundabout, was unfamiliar with the road, causing it to lose control and crash into the roundabout. The driver and his companion then fled the scene. If the drugs had reached the hands of the traffickers, they could have been worth hundreds of millions of baht.