Phuket minivan driver loses license after driving while high on meth

A Phuket minivan driver is now without a license after police reprimanded him for driving high on meth. The driver was caught six days ago after driving outbound on Thep Kassattri Road in Mai Khao, Thalang on a flat tire which caused sparks to come from the wheel.

According to the Phuket Express, the Phuket Land Transport Office says the man, 29 year old Pichai Klomsanoh, admitted to taking three meth pills at 7am and driving. The Tha Chatchai Police say he was reprimanded after they were notified at 9am Friday (January 13) that a minivan was driving for a long time with a flat tire.

Upon being stopped and searched, police found 11 methamphetamine pills in his possession. There were no passengers in his minivan when he was stopped. The driver is now facing charges of illegal possession of a Category 1 Drug and driving after taking methamphetamine pills.

The same day that Pichai was reprimanded, police in seven of Thailand’s southern provinces confiscated over 400,000 meth pills. Some 430,029 meth pills were found in the provinces of Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Chumphon, Krabi, Phang Nga, Ranong, and Phuket.

Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn said in a press conference on Wednesday that the crackdown aimed to ensure safety in tourist provinces during Christmas and the new year holiday. Region 8 Police searched 517 places in the seven provinces.

This news comes less than two months after another major drug bust in South Thailand in November. On November 27, narcotics control police seized about 400,000 meth pills from a rented room in the Bang Klam district of Songkhla province.