Road-blocking complaint leads to Thai taxi driver arrest for drug use

A complaint by a homeowner in Bangkok about road blocking led to the arrest of a Thai taxi driver using drugs in his vehicle.

Officers from Bang Sue Police Station were called to Soi Pradiphat 15 in the Phaya Thai district of Bangkok at 9.10pm on September 20 to remove a taxi that was blocking access to a home. Upon arrival, the officers found the driver, 52 year old Phurithat Phumpuang, asleep in his green-yellow taxi.

The police knocked on the door to wake the taxi driver and noticed drug tools through the car window. They then asked the driver to exit the vehicle and searched.

Two zip-lock bags containing crystal meth were discovered in a black bag, weighing 0.85 and 1.01 grammes respectively. Phurithat admitted to buying the drugs for 500 baht but no details about the dealer were provided in the report.

Phurithat explained that he had taken the drug in his taxi, parked the car at the scene, and then fell asleep. He has been charged with possession and use of a Category 1 drug, which carries a penalty of up to one year in prison, a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both.

Due to the small quantity of drugs in his possession, Phurithat may be required to undergo drug rehabilitation. Failure to comply could result in the aforementioned penalties.

In a related incident, police officers in the central province of Pathum Thani arrested two suspects on September 17 for drug trafficking and seized 80 kilogrammes of crystal meth and firearms. The suspects had been previously arrested for the same offence but continued their criminal activities.

On September 13, police in Chon Buri arrested three drug suspects and found 72 methamphetamine (Yaba) pills and 13.81 grammes of crystal meth in their possession.

Another drug bust was reported on September 10 in Phuket. Three suspects were arrested on Bangla Road, and officers confiscated 55 Yaba pills and 5 grammes of crystal meth. All three suspects tested positive for drug use.