PHICHIT, Jan 2 — Combined government forces early Friday shot and wounded a drug trafficker, arrested another and seized about 40,000 methamphetamine pills in the northern province of Phichit, police said.
The incident occurred at about 5am today when soldiers from the Third Army Region and police tried to stop a pickup van with two men identified as Sompote Sripermpoon and Panapun Supakitkosol while they travelled on a highway in Phichit province.
Police said the two alleged drug smugglers shot at the government personnel and Mr Panapun was wounded by a return gunshot from the authorities and sent to a hospital for treatment.
Mr Sompote surrendered after seeing his accomplice wounded.
The two men told police during questioning that they were hired to deliver the drugs to unidentified agents in Phichit and nearby Phitsanulok provinces.
Friday’s incident took place after the authorities yesterday seized some 4,000 meth pills in Phitsanulok, forcing traffickers to change their transport route to Phichit, police said.
