Russian roulette: Five nabbed in Phuket villa for illegal gambling and shisha stash

Officers from the Investigation Division of the Provincial Police Region 8 and Chalong Police Station yesterday arrested five Russian nationals for illegal gambling and the illicit possession of water pipes for shisha smoking at a luxury villa in the Rawai sub-district of Phuket.

Officers received a tip-off that a group of foreigners turned a lavish accommodation in Soi Salika in the Rawai district of Phuket into a small casino and raided the house at 8pm yesterday, January 22. On arrival, officers met a Russian man, later identified as 36 year old Aleksandr Shelgunov, parking his motorcycle outside the house.

Officers introduced themselves and asked if Shelgunov was staying at the house. Shelgunov did not answer the question but immediately ran into the house to escape from the officers. The police chased him into the house and discovered four other foreigners playing at a poker table.

The four gamblers were Russian nationals identified as a 39 year old man named Vasilii Piskunov, a 38 year old man named Pavel Mishanov, a 23 year old man named Evgenii Vylegzhanin, and a 36 year old woman named Kseniia Savranchuk.

Shelgunov insisted that he did not take part in the gambling game. The four other Russian suspects admitted to their illegal gambling. They explained that they used casino chips as currency and would exchange them for cash and cryptocurrency later at the end of the game.

Officers seized gambling equipment including two poker tables, two decks of cards, 596 casino chips (equivalent to about 1.9 million baht), a gambling record book, etc.

The four Russian gamblers face a penalty of up to three years in jail, a fine of up to 5,000 baht, or both for gambling without permission.

Shelgunov confessed to occupying the first floor of the villa. Following a thorough search of his room, officers discovered that Shelgunov was in unlawful possession of hookahs intended for shisha smoking, commonly referred to as water pipes.

The possession of these hookahs resulted in Shelgunov facing charges under Section 27 of the Criminal Law, about the acquisition or possession of restricted, prohibited, or untaxed goods. The potential penalties for this offence included a fine amounting to four times the value of the products, inclusive of taxes, imprisonment for a maximum of 10 years, or a combination of both.

The police report did not clarify whether Shelgunov was implicated in the gambling operation or identify the owner of the villa.