Nong Khai — A Lao man was arrested with 200,000 methamphetamine pills in his possession at the customs checkpoint at the Thai – Lao Friendship Bridge in this northeastern border province on Monday morning.

In a press conference, Prayut Maneechote, director of the Region Customs Office, identified the man as Vanphone Saengvilai, 32, of Xaythani town in Vientiane province.

He said Vanphone, who was driving through the customs checkpoint in a Toyota pick-up truck, was stopped by customs officials for a search.

The officials found two paper bags on the back floor and a backpack on the back seat, containing 99 bundles of about 200,000 methamphetamine pills, with a street value of about 60 million baht.

According to Mr Prayut, Vanphone said he was a freelance musician in Vientiane. He was contacted by a fellow Lao national called Tom who asked him to deliver the drugs across the border to a client in Udon Thani. On arriving in Udon Thani, he would be informed on the telephone to know where to take the drugs to and would be paid 50,000 baht on the completion of the delivery.

Vanphone was intially charged with having drugs in possession with intent to sell and handed over to Muang district police for further legal action.

Lao man nabbed with 200,000 yaba pills in Nong Khai - Thai PBS English News