SONGKHLA: A suspected drug trader was shot dead inside his pickup truck and some speed pills seized after an exchange of gunfire with soldiers as he tried to speed through a military checkpoint in Saba Yoi district on Friday night.
The incident took place on Saba Yoi-Kabang Road in front of Kolormudor School at around 8pm, said Pol Lt Theerapong Nermruechai, deputy investigation chief at the Saba Yoi station.
Mayunan Mor-ar, 42, a native of Kabang district in Yala, was found dead inside his pickup truck when police arrived at the scene. He had been shot in the back. A pistol and some bullets were found inside the vehicle. A search discovered about 100 speed pills and some cash in the pocket of his trousers, said police.
According to a police investigation, the pickup was travelling from Kabang to Saba Yoi before the clash. When the driver arrived at the checkpoint in Saba Yoi, he refused to let soldiers search his vehicle. Authorities say he pulled out a pistol to open fire and tried to speed off, but the officers fired back. The man was shot dead during a brief exchange of fire.
Police said a check of the suspect’s record showed he had spent time in prison for offences related to the drug trade in Yala and Songkhla provinces. After being released, he returned to the illegal business, they said.
Col Pramot Prom-in, a spokesman for the Region 4 forward command of the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc), said the military checkpoint in Saba Yoi had been set up in line with Isoc’s policy to stem the influx of illicit drugs in communities and improve security for local residents.
