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  • Brit charged with drug dealing

    KAMALA, PHUKET: A British man faces the prospect of a lifetime in jail after being caught at a Kamala Police checkpoint with cocaine, ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) and marijuana on Wednesday. David Kevin Griffin, 49, was driving toward Patong when he was stopped by Kamala Police officers at around 1:45 am at the checkpoint in Nanok Village. Police say they…

  • Chalong Police step up patrols | Thaiger

    Chalong Police step up patrols

    CHALONG: In an effort to step up security at the south end of the island, Chalong Police on October 4 set up checkpoints on all five roads leading to Chalong Circle and increased night-time patrols in the Rawai Beach area. On October 8, a duty officer told the Gazette that no more muggers were caught, but two foreigners were found…

  • Speed, guns and ganja confiscated in crackdown | Thaiger

    Speed, guns and ganja confiscated in crackdown

    PHUKET CITY: Following his order of a crackdown on crime, Phuket’s top cop has announced that several drug- and gun-related arrests were made recently in different parts of the island.Phuket Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongthong said that recent swoops in various locations had included the seizure of 390 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills that had been stashed in a hole in the…

  • Drug arrests coming down | Thaiger

    Drug arrests coming down

    PHUKET: Crime statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police show that the number of drug-related arrests in June was down to 44% compared with 66% in May.In June, there were 171 arrests for drug-related offenses, 104 of which involved ya bah (methamphetamine) with a total of 7,052 pills seized.A total of 41 people were arrested for using cannabis, with 4,581.08…

  • Drug arrests on the rise | Thaiger

    Drug arrests on the rise

    PHUKET: Crime statistics released by the Phuket Provincial Police show that the number of drug-related arrests was about 52% higher in April than for the same period last year.There were 120 arrests for drug-related offenses, 63 of which involved ya bah (methamphetamine) with a total of 3,761 pills seized. However, arrests for gambling offences still topped the list with 202…

  • Crime statistics: prostitutes drop, gamblers rise | Thaiger

    Crime statistics: prostitutes drop, gamblers rise

    PHUKET: Arrests made for prostitution in Phuket decreased in March from the previous month, while the number of arrests for gambling shot up by 127 cases, according to monthly crime statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police.During March, there were 304 arrests for gambling, 139 arrests for prostitution and 110 arrests for drug-related offenses, 58 of which involved ya bah (methamphetamine)…

  • Unsolved murders and drug arrests on the rise | Thaiger

    Unsolved murders and drug arrests on the rise

    PHUKET: According to monthly crime statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police, four murders committed in February remain unsolved, while the number of drug-related arrests was about 30% higher than the same period last year.There were also four attempted murders reported in February, with two related arrests made, and 15 reports of assault. One arrest was made for rape.There were 109…

  • Police raid Patong bars in Chalerm’s crackdown | Thaiger

    Police raid Patong bars in Chalerm’s crackdown

    PATONG: Last night’s police crackdown on Soi Bangla entertainment venues trading past 2 am was in response to an order by new Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobumrung, Kathu Police chief Col Grissak Songmoonnak has confirmed.Col Grissak, Superintendent of Kathu Police Station, told the Gazette today that he ordered the crackdown after Interior Minister Pol Capt Chalerm told police nationwide to get…

  • Gambling trumps crime statistics | Thaiger

    Gambling trumps crime statistics

    PHUKET: Yet again, gambling has topped the monthly crime statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police, with 284 arrests in December.During the period, drug-related cases accounted for 131 arrests, of which 55 involved ya bah (methamphetamine). A total of precisely 13,041.5 pills were seized.Thirty people were arrested for using cannabis, with a total of just 39.4 grams confiscated. There were 23…

  • Gambling tops crime stats | Thaiger

    Gambling tops crime stats

    PHUKET: Gambling topped the latest crime statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police, with 228 arrests in November.Drug-related cases accounted for 109 arrests, of which 49 involved ya bah (methamphetamine) with a total of 3,170.5 pills seized.Twenty-seven people were arrested for the use of cannabis, with 9.2 kilograms confiscated. There were 15 arrests for inhalant abuse and nine for possession of…

  • Chalong dope bust: 3 arrested, 9 kilos seized

    CHALONG: Chalong Police seized nine kilograms of marijuana last Wednesday after a sting operation that resulted in the arrest of three men.Chalong Police Superintendent Pol Col Samarn Chainarong told a press conference on Thursday that after gathering intelligence from informants, police received information about a group of men who had been selling marijuana in Phuket.Pol Maj Veerayut Sitthirattakul of Chalong…

  • Knife-wielding burglar arrested | Thaiger

    Knife-wielding burglar arrested

    PHUKET: Police have arrested a burglar who broke into a home near Tesco-Lotus Sunday night and repeatedly slashed its female occupant with a knife before fleeing.Pol Capt Supachai Petchsakul of Phuket City Police said that the attack happened about 11 pm in a residential area off Songkhla Rd in Tambon Rassada, near the Tesco-Lotus intersection.The attacker, later identified as Rawai…

  • Gambling tops September crime statistics | Thaiger

    Gambling tops September crime statistics

    PHUKET: Gambling topped the latest crime statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police, with 230 arrests made in September.In second place, 102 people arrested were arrested for drug-related cases, of which 63 involved ya bah (methamphetamine) with a total of 3,329 pills seized.Seventeen people were arrested for the use of cannabis, with 19.45 grams confiscated. There were 11 arrests for inhalant…

  • Drug bust nets over 5,000 ya bah pills

    PHUKET CITY: A police drug bust on Wednesday resulted in two arrests and the seizure of 5,394 ya bah pills (methamphetamine), 41 kilograms of marijuana and over one million baht in cash and gold jewelry. Police are still looking for one more suspect in the case.The operation was led by Pol Lt Col Teeranat Kademee, Inspector of the Phuket Provincial…

  • Juvenile Court cases jump 11% | Thaiger

    Juvenile Court cases jump 11%

    PHUKET: Figures released by the Phuket Juvenile Observation and Protection Center show that delinquents committed 364 crimes from January 1 to July 31 this year – an increase of 11% on the overall juvenile crime rate for 2006.Eighty-two of the cases involved inhalant abuse, such as huffing rubber cement or glue. Most inhalant-abuse cases involved boys aged 15 to 18.Of…

  • Police raid tea shop, hookahs seized | Thaiger

    Police raid tea shop, hookahs seized

    PHUKET CITY: During a raid of the Khiew-Tong cafe on Thalang Rd yesterday evening, police found 16 minors smoking flavored tobacco through a hookah.The 10 males and six females, all under 18, were arrested and later released to their parents. The shop owner, Phuket native Veerasak Abdulla, 49, was charged with aiding or abetting a minor to engage in wrongful…

  • Gambling a sure bet in Phuket | Thaiger

    Gambling a sure bet in Phuket

    PHUKET: Gambling has topped the latest crime statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police with 205 arrests made from June 1 to June 30.There were 125 people arrested in drug-related cases, of which 61 involved ya bah (methamphetamine): five for selling, 30 for possession with intent to sell, 14 for possession and 12 for use. A total of 7,821 pills were…

  • Huge kratom bust in Thalang | Thaiger

    Huge kratom bust in Thalang

    THALANG: Police seized about 2,000 kilograms of kratom leaves and cut down kratom trees up to 15 meters tall at a house in Thalang last Thursday.In what is believed to be the biggest kratom bust in the district, officers raided the house in Tambon Sri Soontorn after obtaining a search warrant, applied for after an investigation led to a tip-off.Lt…

  • Gamblers top police crime figures | Thaiger

    Gamblers top police crime figures

    PHUKET: Gambling remains Phuket’s top illegal pastime with 306 arrests made from May 1 to May 30, according to statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police.There were 108 people arrested in drug-related cases, of which 49 involved ya bah (methamphetamine): three for importing, five for selling, 26 for possession with intent to sell, 13 for possession and two for use. A…

  • Gambling tops crimes stats again | Thaiger

    Gambling tops crimes stats again

    PHUKET: Gambling remains the most commonly caught crime on the island with 239 arrests made from April 1 to April 30, according to statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police.Prostitution climbed into number two position, with 92 arrests.There were 71 people arrested in drug-related cases, of which 33 were for ya bah (methamphetamine)-related charges – three for selling, 20 for possession…

  • Eight teenagers nabbed for muggings | Thaiger

    Eight teenagers nabbed for muggings

    PHUKET: Phuket City Police on Wednesday rounded up eight teenagers suspected of at least two gunpoint muggings.Police reported that the boys – all aged 16 or 17 – confessed to two attacks, one at Saphan Hin on Tuesday and one at Khao Rang viewpoint on March 29. In both cases, the boys used knives and a homemade short shotgun to…

  • Arrests for illegal firearms rise | Thaiger

    Arrests for illegal firearms rise

    PHUKET: Twenty-five people were arrested for possession of unlicensed firearms from February 1 to 28, compared with 10 arrests during the same period in January, according to the latest crime statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police.Gambling again saw the most arrests with 260 people charged, and 57 people were arrested for drug-related cases.Cases involving ya bah (methamphetamine) totaled 31, with…

  • Swiss swindler arrested after stabbing policeman

    THALANG: Swiss national Carlos Minnig, 39, yesterday stabbed a Tourist Police officer while resisting arrest for extorting “protection money” from a fellow Swiss national.The arrest followed complaints from Swiss businessman Rene Langansand, 42, that Minnig claimed to be an Interpol agent and offered protection services for Mr Langansand’s Koh Lanta business – for a fee.According to a Tourist Police press…

  • Gambling, prostitution top January arrests | Thaiger

    Gambling, prostitution top January arrests

    PHUKET: From January 1 to 20, police arrested 208 people for gambling and 115 people for prostitution in Phuket, according to the latest crime statistics from the Phuket Provincial Police.Cases involving ya bah (methamphetamine) totaled 99, with 108 arrests made and 5,681 pills seized.Thirteen people were arrested for sniffing glue or paint thinners, 25 for possession of marijuana and three…

  • Fraud on the rise in Phuket | Thaiger

    Fraud on the rise in Phuket

    PHUKET: While gambling remains Phuket’s top vice, white-collar crime seems to be on the rise with 14 cases of fraud reported with five arrests made, and 10 cases of embezzlement with two arrests made.From November 1 to 30, 188 people were arrested for gambling offenses with 39 of those coming from the sale of illegal lottery tickets.Three murders were reported,…

  • Prostitution rates second in latest crime figures | Thaiger

    Prostitution rates second in latest crime figures

    PHUKET: Statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police show that prostitution-related crime resulted in the second-highest number of arrests, 91, in October, knocking drug offenses from its usual number two position and trailing only the perennial leader, gambling.Of the 214 people arrests for gambling-related offenses, 23 cases involved the sale of illegal underground lottery tickets.Seventy-four people were arrested for drug-related offenses,…

  • The usual suspects | Thaiger

    The usual suspects

    PHUKET: Crime statistics for August, released by the Phuket Provincial Police, show that the usual two crimes – gambling and drugs – yet again topped the list of offenses committed in the month.A total of 181 people were arrested on gambling charges during the August 1-25 reporting period. Eleven of these were held for their involvement in the underground lottery.Of…

  • Phuket police seize 7,568 ya bah pills | Thaiger

    Phuket police seize 7,568 ya bah pills

    PHUKET: Police seized 7,568 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills in Phuket and arrested 117 people in connection with drug offenses, statistics for the July 1 to 25 period show. Of the 117 arrested, 56 were held for possession of ya bah, 22 for sniffing glue or paint thinners, 29 for possession of marijuana; nine for possession of krathom, an indigenous plant…

  • Drugs haul at Kalim Beach bar | Thaiger

    Drugs haul at Kalim Beach bar

    KALIM: Undercover police armed with a warrant arrested suspected drug dealer Boonyarit Charnpraneet, 46, in the evening of April 7 following a tip-off from a member of the public. The arrest took place at the bar – the name of which police declined to disclose to the Gazette – owned by Boonyarit at Kalim Beach. The police also managed to…

  • All bets are off as gambling tops arrests stats again | Thaiger

    All bets are off as gambling tops arrests stats again

    PHUKET: Gambling, with 162 arrests made between March 1 and 25, has again topped the monthly arrests statistics, the Phuket Provincial Police announced today. Of these, 25 people were arrested for being involved in the sale of illegal lottery tickets.There were three cases of murder – including that of Preecha “Ko Noi” Kraitas (see also page 1). Three arrests made,…