Thai authorities made a jaw-dropping drug bust after discovering 1.6 tons of ketamine and crystal methamphetamine cleverly hidden under cabbages in a pickup truck. The driver, a 39-year-old local, was arrested on charges of trafficking.
The dramatic seizure happened over the weekend at a petrol station in central Ayutthaya Province, where police stopped the vehicle and uncovered 900 kilograms of ketamine and 700 kilograms of crystal meth packed beneath leafy vegetables.
According to a statement from Bangkok Police, the driver admitted he was paid 100,000 baht (around $3,000) to transport the drugs. The trafficking charges he faces carry sentences ranging from 15 years to life imprisonment.
Authorities suspect the narcotics were smuggled from a neighbouring country, though no specifics were provided.
Thailand has long been a major hub for drug trafficking in Southeast Asia, with regular seizures of heroin, methamphetamine, and other hard drugs. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported that a record 236 tons of methamphetamine were seized across East and Southeast Asia in 2024 – a 24% increase from the previous year.
UNODC noted that Thailand is both a key transit and destination point for methamphetamine trafficked from Myanmar, consistently recording the largest seizures in the region.
