Authorities seized over 3 million speed pills abandoned by fleeing smugglers after an exchange of gunfire near a forested area in Muang district of this northern province on Thursday morning.
Border patrol police and soldiers from the Thap Chao Tak special unit of the Pha Muang task force spotted three suspicious pickup trucks traveling along the Den Ha-Dong Mada road in tambon Mae Korn at about 6 am on Thursday.
The officers signaled the drivers to stop, but those inside the vehicles opened fire, leading to a gunfight.
After a clash that lasted about 10 minutes, the armed men abandoned the three pickups and fled into a nearby forest, said Gen Narit Thawornwong, commander of a drug suppression unit.
A search of the vehicles revealed 16 fertilizer sacks, each containing 200,000 speed pills, for a total of 3.2 million, Gen Narit reported
Speed is a type of amphetamine, a central nervous system stimulant that affects the brain’s function and the body’s processes.
There are various types of amphetamines. Some are prescribed by doctors to treat medical conditions such as narcolepsy (an uncontrollable urge to sleep) or ADHD. Others are produced and sold illegally. The main forms of illicit methamphetamine are:
- Speed
- Base
- Crystal meth (ice)
Ice is the most potent form.
Speed powder can range in color from white to brown and may contain traces of grey or pink. It has a strong smell and a bitter taste. Speed can also come in pill form. It can be:
- Swallowed
- Injected
- Smoked
- Snorted
Speed is also known by various street names, including:
- Up
- Uppers
- Louee
- Goey
- Whiz
- Rack
- credit Bangkok Post
