National —
The Phichit police squad intercepted a drug smuggler with over 6.7 million pills of illicit substances before they could be distributed in central Thailand. The driver fled the initial arrest into a swamp before being captured after 48 hours in swamp water.
Late at night on October 4th, 2023, the Phichit Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA) unit intercepted a drug trafficker transporting over 6.7 million pills of illicit substances by using a pickup truck. The driver escaped the initial arrest into the Si Fai swamp in Phichit. The DOPA unit and a recovery team of up to 100 individuals set up a sealed perimeter around the swamp area to find the driver.
At 9:00 AM on October 6th, 2023, the Phichit police station received a report from a local fisherman who found a man floating in the Si Fai swamp asking for help. The Phichit police mobilized a squad using drones to search for the man. The man was later identified only as Mr. Natchanon, 25-years-old, the escaped driver, shivering in a cold and weary condition. Mr. Natchanon was in the swamp for two rainy nights without having a meal for both days.
On the initial investigation, Mr. Natchanon reportedly confessed that he was hired to transport illicit substances from a neighboring country to a major drug dealer in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya. However, Natchanon was intercepted by police at the Joseph intersection in Phichit before escaping into the Si Fai swamp.
The Narcotics Control Board will conduct a further investigation to hold the involved individuals accountable and find the drug dealer working with Natchanon.
