Myanmar nationals caught with 10 drones in Bangkok: Police

BANGKOK – Four Myanmar nationals caught in Bangkok on Dec 23 with 10 heavy-lift cargo drones they planned to smuggle to their home country will be deported there, Thai police said.

The

use of drones by Myanmar’s military

and myriad rebel groups fighting against its rule has ballooned during the country’s nearly five-year civil war, as each side seeks to gain a strategic edge.

Myanmar ranks third globally – behind only Ukraine and Russia – for the number of drone sorties recorded by conflict monitoring group ACLED, according to a report released in 2025.

Thai Police Major-General Prasong Anmanee told AFP the four Myanmar nationals were caught after the authorities received a tip-off from a hotel where they stayed in the suburbs of Bangkok.

Mr Prasong said they checked into the hotel on Dec 21 and received large boxes from a Thai courier on Dec 22.

“We went and checked and found out it was drones, and those four do not have any licence or other documents,” the senior officer said.

The unmanned aerial vehicles, manufactured by Chinese firm DJI, are capable of carrying 30kg of weight, Mr Prasong said.

“They said they had been ordered to bring drones to Myanmar,” he told AFP, adding that they intended to bring the bulky devices out of Thailand in pieces and deliver them to their “boss” in Myanmar.

Mr Prasong said police had not identified the alleged ringleader in Myanmar.

The four were detained by the authorities ahead of their deportation to Myanmar after their visas were revoked due to immigration violations, he said.

Three were living in Thailand under student visas, although they were not enrolled in any university, and the fourth had overstayed, Mr Prasong said. AFP