The Royal Thai Army has killed 15 people suspected of smuggling methamphetamine into the north of the kingdom, a traffic that continues to grow in the region, its representatives said on Thursday (December 8th).
The incident occurred near the "
Golden Triangle
", a border area with Laos and Burma, known to be the central point of drug production in Southeast Asia for decades.
Troops patrolling northern Chiang Mai province came across about 20 people walking towards the interior of Thailand as if coming from neighboring Burma, a representative of the Pha Muang task force said. monitors several border areas.
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Members of the group opened fire when the army told them to stop.
The soldiers responded with their weapons, killing 15 people.
Thirty bags containing drugs were found at the scene.
"
We did a first check and found it was methamphetamine
," said a local army official.
More than one billion methamphetamine pills, or 172 tons, were seized in 2021 in East and Southeast Asia, a record high, according to preliminary data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Drugs. crime (UNODC).
Drug production has exploded in Burma, especially since the February 2021 military coup that plunged the country into chaos.
