Cockfighting passion leads to drug gang leader’s arrest in Thailand
The arrest of a major drug gang leader was facilitated by an unexpected element: a passion for cockfighting. Law enforcement officials in Bang Lamung apprehended three suspects and seized 107,360 methamphetamine pills, over 1 kilogramme of crystal methamphetamine, and two vehicles, with a total estimated value of 2.3 million baht (US$66,370).
Police led by Navin Sinthurat, head of Bang Lamung Police Station, alongside Supawat Lattapreecha and Suchart Dusadee, orchestrated a sting operation to dismantle a drug trafficking network operating in Pattaya and Bang Lamung.
The operation initially involved an undercover purchase of two bundles of methamphetamine, amounting to 4,000 pills, for 18,000 baht (US$520).
During the orchestrated drug exchange, the traffickers constantly altered the meeting location and used two vehicles to elude surveillance.
Eventually, the exchange was set to occur near Nueng Chamnong Temple in Ban Bueng, Chon Buri. However, when the appointed time arrived, the suspects attempted to escape quickly, evading immediate capture.
Undeterred, the police devised another strategy, capitalising on intelligence that the gang’s leader, Surachai Choodee, had a keen interest in cockfighting. The officers arranged a meeting under the guise of trading methamphetamine for fighting cocks at a farm in Nong Prue, Bang Lamung.
On arrival, Surachai was promptly arrested, with police presenting video evidence of his involvement in the drug trade, leaving him with no option but to concede.
Police successfully expanded the operation, apprehending two additional accomplices: 27 year old Narong Buasai, and 30 year old Waraporn Ritsri, Surachai’s wife. A subsequent search of a residence in Ban Bueng, Chon Buri, uncovered 107,360 methamphetamine pills and 1.083 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine, alongside a quantity of ammunition.
Surachai confessed, revealing that after serving a drug-related sentence in 2021, he turned to cockfighting to make ends meet. However, the income proved insufficient, prompting him to resume trafficking methamphetamine and crystal methamphetamine, primarily serving clients in Mueang Chon Buri, Ban Bueng, and Pattaya. He disclosed that he procured drugs through a Line application, never having met his suppliers face-to-face, reported KhaoSod.
Initial charges against the suspects include possession of a Category 1 narcotic (methamphetamine and crystal methamphetamine) with intent to distribute. The case has been handed over to investigators at Ban Bueng Police Station for further legal proceedings.
