PATTANI - Police on Saturday intercepted over 1.4 million methamphetamine pills destined for Malaysia in an operation that resulted in the arrest of four drug smugglers.
The joint operation also involved Pattani authorities, the Narcotics Control Board and the military, said Pol Maj Gen Nitinai Langyanai, commander of Provincial Police Region 9.
The four men were intercepted in three cars carrying 350 bags containing more than 1.4 million speed pills, weighing about 350 kilogrammes with a value of around 80 million baht. Six mobile phones were also seized.
Their apprehension was the result of intelligence gathered by Pattani police indicating a major drug shipment was passing through the southern border provinces into neighbouring Malaysia.
Authorities set up surveillance for the three vehicles suspected of carrying the drugs, spotting them at a petrol station in Songkhla. The identification allowed police to intercept them as they entered Pattani.
The suspects were identified only as Ekatat, 41, Arthit, 43, Ananchawat, 35, and Somchai, 27. All of them confessed to transporting illicit drugs with intent to distribute, said police.
The suspects told police that they were collaborating with an individual identified only as Toh, who resides in the central region. Further evidence is being collected to obtain a warrant for his capture.