Thai army troops seized 200,000 methamphetamine tablets today (Sunday), following a brief gun battle in Mae Ai district of the northern province of Chiang Mai, near the Thai-Myanmar border.
Troops from the Pha Muang task force were on a routine patrol along a jungle trail when they stumbled upon a group of about five armed men. Some of them were carrying heavy backpacks thought to contain illegal narcotics.
The troops ordered them to stop, only to be shot at. The troops returned fire, which led to a firefight lasting about five minutes. The armed suspects fled the scene, but left their backpacks behind, in which the drugs were found.