Police arrested raw opium smugglers in Mogok, Mandalay region along with Ks 75 million worth of raw opium, according to the police.

“We arrested all five smugglers. We had to fire warning shots as they tried to attack us. The smugglers sustained only minor injuries,” said head of Mogok Township police station.

The police patrol from Legyi Bridge police outpost tried to stop five motorcyclists on October 7 but they escaped. Policemen from Mogok Township police station found five men and five motorcycles. They had tried to fight back against their arrest but the police fired two warning shots with a pump-action shotgun. Three of the two criminals surrendered then and there while the remaining duo escaped by jumping into a ravine.

The police trailed after them and caught one of them near Nyaungkone Village. The remaining one tried to run away and the police fired six shotgun rounds and five MA-13 rounds. Despite that he continued to escape, prompting the police to fire three more times using the pump-action gun. The police managed to grapple him to the ground, sources said.

The police found 84 packages of raw opium weighing 50 kilos on three motorcycles.

The smugglers said they had bought them from a person living in Pekon, southern Shan State and carried them through Pekon-Nyaung Shwe-Ywatsaute-Naung Cho-Hokho road to distribute in Bamauk, Sagaing region.

The police lodged a complaint against them under Section 19 (a)/ 21 of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Law at Mogok Township police station.