British man arrested in Bangkok for cocaine sales to tourists
A 64 year old British national was arrested in Bangkok on Friday for allegedly selling cocaine to tourists in the Sukhumvit area, police say.
Phillip Thomas Lingwood, identified as a key distributor, was apprehended around 10.30pm on March 6 on Sukhumvit 13 road, Watthana district, after a tip-off led officers to conduct a surveillance operation in the area.
Police had received information about a foreign man allegedly involved in drug trafficking along Sukhumvit 13. Officers spotted Lingwood exiting a building carrying a black and green paper bag.
Upon searching Lingwood, police found a 400-gram cocaine rock concealed in the bag. Additional cocaine totalling 19 grams was found hidden in a cylindrical container in his right trouser pocket, while two grams of powdered ecstasy were concealed in a similar container in his left pocket.
The arrest was led by Police Major General Worawit Yanachinda, alongside Police Colonel Ekaphop Likhittanasombat and other officers.
During questioning, Lingwood admitted the drugs belonged to him and were intended for delivery to customers. He was unable to produce a passport when requested.
Police then extended the operation to his 20th-floor apartment in the same area, where they recovered 1.5 grams of crystal methamphetamine and more ecstasy, along with digital scales and packaging bags.
Lingwood faces charges of possessing cocaine for commercial purposes without permission, possessing ecstasy and crystal methamphetamine without permission, illegal drug use, and entering Thailand without authorisation. He was handed over to investigators at Lumphini Police Station for legal proceedings, reported KhaoSod.
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