BANGKOK - Two Taiwanese men and a Malaysian national face the death penalty after being caught with eight kilos of heroin and charged with drug trafficking, Thai police said today.

Bangkok police nabbed Taiwanese Chang Yu-Yen, 41, and Yen Wen Cheng, 47, and Malaysian Fan Yow Ket, 40 on Sunday after searching their vehicle.

"Prior to the arrest, investigators learned there was a foreign drug gang which entered Thailand to buy a large amount of heroin from the northern part of Thailand," metropolitan police said in a statement.

Police posted surveillance and discovered a suspicious car which was searched and found to be harbouring 20 bars of heroin weighing 400 grams each, the statement said.

Police said the suspects confessed to the charges and admitted the drugs were to be resold to clients overseas.

Last April Thai police arrested six Taiwanese men with 12 kilos of heroin estimated to have a street value of about 300 million baht (US$7.69 million).

In January 2003, police discovered 35.5 kilograms of heroin in one of the largest seizures since the drug's popularity declined in Thailand due to the increased use of methamphetamines. - AFP