Bud luck: Bold bandit breaks into Pattaya pot shop, swipes stash
Budbox Pattaya was the scene of a daring break-in yesterday morning. The infamous cannabis shop, situated in front of the JA Plus Hotel on Soi Chalermprakiat 3, was targeted by a bold foreign bandit who smashed his way through the glass doors to make off with goods valued at around 10,000 baht.
The break-in occurred at approximately 11am, yesterday, February 2, at a time when the shop was closed and staff were nowhere to be seen.
It was only early the following day that 35 year old shop owner Atipon Na Ruek submitted crucial CCTV footage to the police, footage that clearly captured the crime in high definition.
But the twist in the tale? The culprit was no stranger! Identified as a regular patron of the cannabis haven, his knowledge of the shop’s layout gave him an advantage in executing the theft, reported Pattaya News.
Atipon, visibly shaken by the violation, wasted no time in lodging a formal complaint with Pattaya City Police Station, where his case landed on the desk of Police Lieutenant Colonel Wuttinan Kongdee. The police are now on the hunt to track down the cheeky bandit.
The Pattaya police are banking on the crystal-clear CCTV footage and Atipon’s detailed account to nail the culprit soon.
In an interesting backdrop to this caper, since 2022, the decriminalisation of cannabis in Thailand has seen a proliferation of legal cannabis shops in Pattaya. But with legalisation comes new challenges, as Budbox Pattaya’s misfortune shows.
In related news, a cannabis shop owner is offering a 2,000-baht reward for information about two foreign men who stole cannabis from a shop in the southern province of Krabi on Friday, January 17.
The theft occurred at the Smok XXX shop in the Pu Dam Market, Krabi, at approximately 10pm. The two foreign thieves were captured on the store’s CCTV cameras. One was wearing a long-sleeve shirt, shorts, and trainers, while the other was dressed in a T-shirt, shorts, a cap, and trainers. Both were carrying backpacks.
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