ROI ET — 15 September 2026, Police arrested a suspected major drug dealer at a safe house in Roi Et on Tuesday, seizing nearly 58,000 methamphetamine pills, three illegal guns and assets worth more than 1 million baht.
The operation was carried out by the Special Operations “Majchurach 691” and “Thotsarot 491” teams under Provincial Police Region 4, together with officials from Kaset Wisai district.
Led by Pol. Col. Nat Mongphut, commander of the Crime Suppression Division of Provincial Police Region 4, officers raided a target house in Ban Nong Phra Bang, Kamphaeng subdistrict, Kaset Wisai district, as part of the “Roi-Et Sandbox” drug suppression project.
Police said the investigation began with information obtained from drug users and dealers in Roi Et. Investigators allegedly found that the suspect was a major dealer responsible for distributing methamphetamine in the area and had developed methods to evade arrest.
He was also allegedly involved in coordinating drug distribution, carried firearms and maintained a safe house used to hide from authorities and store drugs for a transnational network, police said.
Officers planned the raid with a high level of caution. When they entered the property, they found two people acting suspiciously and appearing startled. They were identified as Kla, 24, and Mai, 22.
During further questioning, Kla allegedly admitted that more drugs and firearms had been hidden by burying them at several locations around the house.
Police took him to identify the hiding places and searched five locations, recovering the following:
- 57,934 methamphetamine pills
- 3.8 grams of crystal meth
- One 9mm MC semi-automatic handgun
- One .38-caliber revolver
- One .22-caliber handgun
- 46 rounds of ammunition
- 80,300 baht in cash
- Two gold necklaces weighing one salung each
- One car
- Two motorcycles
- Four mobile phones
The total value of the seized assets was estimated at more than 1 million baht.
According to police, Kla confessed that he had ordered drugs from a Lao national believed to be a major supplier, purchasing several hundred thousand pills at a time with a value of more than 1 million baht.
He allegedly brought the drugs to the area for temporary storage before distributing them to young people in Kaset Wisai and nearby districts in Roi Et. Police said the alleged operation took place two to three times a month.
Kla and Mai were initially charged with jointly possessing methamphetamine for distribution for commercial purposes, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, and methamphetamine use.
Police said they had also arrested more than 10 other members of the alleged network and would continue investigating to identify additional suspects.
Kla and the seized evidence were handed over to investigators at Dong Khrang Yai Police Station for legal proceedings.