Two suspected drug couriers were shot dead in an exchange of gunfire with narcotics suppression officers in Phetchaburi province on Tuesday night, with authorities seizing about half a tonne of crystal methamphetamine, also known as Ice.
Police said the incident occurred at about 7.40pm on a vacant plot of land beside Highway 4 in Bang Khem subdistrict, Khao Yoi district.
The deceased were identified as Chattharin and Rungarun, both 27, from Don Koi subdistrict in Ratchaburi’s Damnoen Saduak district.
The Narcotics Suppression Bureau’s Division 3 said its Chiang Mai-based narcotics suppression team had been investigating a network suspected of transporting large quantities of drugs to southern Thailand.
Investigators had been tracking the group, which allegedly operated in Ratchaburi and nearby areas and used two cars to transport drugs.
At about 7.30pm on Tuesday, officers spotted a car registered in Ratchaburi parked on an isolated plot of land. The two men later arrived at the vehicle.
When the officers identified themselves, the men allegedly opened fire. The officers returned fire, leaving both men dead.
