Thai couple arrested in Bangkok condominium raid for producing Pod K
Officers from the Metropolitan Police Bureau raided a luxury condominium in Bangkok’s Thon Buri neighbourhood on Tuesday, January 21, and arrested a Thai couple for producing and distributing a new narcotic known as Pod K.
Pod K, a substance similar in appearance to e-cigarettes, contains e-liquid laced with ketamine. This new drug gained popularity among Thai teenagers due to its accessibility, mirroring that of regular e-cigarettes. In response, police launched a targeted operation to crack down on its distribution.
This recent investigation began after residents of a luxury condominium in Thon Buri reported frequent disturbances caused by a group of teenagers gathering in one of the units over the past three months.
Upon further investigation, authorities discovered that the condo unit in question was being used as a production and distribution hub for Pod K. The Pod K sold by the couple came in a variety of flavours, such as grape and cola, and was priced between 1,300 and 1,500 baht per unit.
The couple operating from the room received orders via the Line messaging application and used app-based delivery services to distribute their products. The couple would leave the packages on the condominium’s ground floor for delivery riders to collect.
During the raid, police apprehended the suspects, identified only by their nicknames, Pond and Film. A search of the unit uncovered a wide array of illegal substances, including ketamine-laced e-liquids, methamphetamine (commonly known as Yaba), mixed drugs marketed as collagen, drug-laced drinks, drug-infused jelly, ecstasy, and crystal meth among other ingredients used for drug manufacturing.
The couple faced three charges including:
- Section 145: Producing, importing, exporting, distributing, or possessing Category 1 narcotics. This carries a penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment and a fine of between 200,000 and 2 million baht.
- Section 146: Producing, importing, exporting, distributing, or possessing Category 2 narcotics. This carries a penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment and a fine of between 200,000 and 1.5 million baht.
- Section 162 of the Narcotics Control Act for using a Category 1 drug. The penalty is up to one year of imprisonment, a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both.
It remains unclear whether police plans to expand their investigation to apprehend other individuals potentially involved in the operation.
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