Police seize 464kg of meth in van smuggled from Myanmar following crash into house fence
This is the dramatic moment police seized a staggering 464kg haul of crystal meth following a high-speed car chase in Thailand.
Alleged drug runner Minthada, 23, was reportedly moving narcotics from Myanmar into Thailand when highway police stopped his grey Hyundai van in Prachuap Khiri Khan, on September 15.
Officers moved to search the vehicle, but Minthada was said to have sped away toward the town centre, sparking a frantic pursuit.
Dashcam footage shows the van tearing across the highway as police cars gave chase with sirens blaring.
But the suspected courier crashed into a house fence when he tried to veer off the route.
Bodycam video showed cops tackling him to the ground while he was surrendering.
Minthada was detained on suspicion of possessing Category 1 narcotics for sale.
A search of the van found 25 sacks containing 464kg of crystal meth packaged inside green tea bags.
During questioning, Minthada reportedly confessed to being hired to transport the drugs from Mae Sai District in the northern province Chiang Rai, near the Myanmar border, all the way to Songkhla in southern Thailand.
He was allegedly paid 500,000 baht, which he planned to use for his wedding.
Authorities said they had been hunting the vehicle following intelligence from the Narcotics Suppression Bureau about a major drug shipment being transported to southern Thailand.
The van had reportedly been spotted travelling through Sam Roi Yot District before passing through an intersection in Mueang Prachuap Khiri Khan District, on September 15.
Police Colonel Phakaphon Suchon, superintendent of Highway Police Sub-Division 2, said Minthada and the seized evidence were handed over to the Narcotics Suppression Bureau for legal proceedings.
He added: 'This is a major drug bust in Prachuap Khiri Khan. Authorities tracked the smugglers from the Mae Sai border before the chase ended with the van crashing into a wall, revealing a massive 464 kilograms meth haul.
'We are expanding the investigation to identify any accomplices and masterminds and trace the supply routes and wider trafficking network.'
Thailand has become a notorious hub for drug use, 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.
However, cracking down on drug production has been complicated by the influx of crime gangs from China and the Burmese civil war, which has seen the army take over the country - along with control of lucrative drugs chains.
