2 meth busts in Phuket this past week

Thailand’s issue with illegal drugs is rearing its ugly head again, this time in Phuket. Two different meth busts happened in Phuket’s main city district this past week. One alleged dealer was arrested at a condominium in the Wichit sub-district, while another was arrested at a house in the Chalong sub-district.

The alleged dealer in Wichit is a 36 year old man named Weeradet ‘Gat’ Gerdmonkol. Police seized 1,779 meth pills from Gat, as well as about 30 grammes of crystal methamphetamine. They also seized a gun with 15 bullets.

Gat faces the following charges: having category 1 drugs with intent to sell, illegal possession of a firearm, and carrying a gun in public without a permit.

The alleged dealer in Chalong is a 31 year old man named Sittiwut ‘Arm’ Loondam. Police seized 1,784 meth pills from Arm. He faces the charge of having category 1 drugs with intent to sell.

Neither of the men has released statements to the media about the charges or allegations yet.

Meth continues to be the most popular, cheap, and readily available illicit narcotic in Thailand and all of southeast Asia, where the synthetic drugs trade is booming.

Last year alone, more than one billion meth pills were seized in the east and southeast Asia, according to a report released by the United Nations. It is considered the “drug of greatest concern” in the region by the UN.

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In April, Thai police arrested more than 120,000 drug suspects in the past six months. They had seized more than 2.4 billion baht in assets and confiscated more than 260 million pills of illegal substances, including meth.

SOURCES: The Phuket Express | The Phuket Express