2 Canadian men found supplying drugs to Phuket music festival goers
Phuket police officers discovered that the two Canadian men, who fled a police checkpoint claiming to escape from a physical assault, had been offering drugs to partygoers at the Electric Daisy Carnival Thailand 2025 (EDC Thailand 2025) music festival.
Officers from Karon Police Station stopped the two Canadian men, travelling in a black Ford Raptor pickup, on Patak Road on Sunday, January 19, after they had earlier evaded a checkpoint set up by Patong Police Station. The men were identified as 34 year old Samuel Lee Jackson and 34 year old Jared Liam Wong.
The men claimed they were assaulted and chased by a group of attackers, which they said was why they ran the checkpoint. However, officers were unconvinced by their story and proceeded to search their vehicle. No illegal items were found during the vehicle search.
The two Canadians were taken to Karon Police Station for further questioning about the alleged attackers. During interrogation, police searched the men and discovered drugs in Wong’s possession.
The confiscated drugs included 100 grammes of crystal methamphetamine, six tablets of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), four sheets of LSD blotter paper, 14 grammes of magic mushrooms, 88 capsules of cocaine, 50 pills of alprazolam, and drug paraphernalia.
Drug delivery interrupted
Further investigations revealed that the two Canadian men were drug dealers supplying illegal substances to foreign tourists, particularly those attending the music festival, EDC Thailand 2025.
Police found evidence of the men communicating with their clients via the LINE messaging application. They were reportedly preparing to deliver drugs to clients but were intercepted by the police.
Wong allegedly denied all accusations and refused to provide any information to the police. There was no report on whether Jackson cooperated with the police.
In addition to the arrests of the two Canadians, police detained three other foreign nationals at the event after finding drugs in their possession.
The foreigners arrested included a 52 year old Japanese man, identified as Seo, found with cocaine; a 33 year old Burmese man, identified as Maing Myo Khant, found with methamphetamine; and a 29 year old Malaysian man, identified as Ahmed Afif Zayani Bin Ahmad Zubir, found with ecstasy and cocaine.
ORIGINAL STORY: 2 Canadian men run police checkpoint, claim assault triggers escape
Two Canadian men ran a police checkpoint in the Patong to Karon area of Phuket on Sunday, January 19, claiming they were fleeing from attackers.
Officers from Patong Police Station sought assistance from Karon Police Station to intercept the black Ford Raptor pickup truck, which sped through the checkpoint in Patong.
A high-speed chase ensued, with police pursuing the Ford pickup until it reached Karon Temple. There, officers deliberately rammed their vehicle into the pickup to bring it to a stop.
The two men, identified as 34 year old Samuel Lee Jackson and 34 year old Jared Liam Wong, were taken into custody and transported to Patong Police Station for further questioning.
Upon searching the vehicle, police found various items scattered across the floor and seats but did not discover any illegal items.
The Canadian men claimed they were involved in an argument with rivals in the Patong area, which escalated into a physical altercation. They said they fled the scene in their pickup after being assaulted, fearing their attackers would pursue them.
As they were injured and wanted to reach a hospital as quickly as possible, they decided to run the police checkpoint. The two indeed bore wounds and bruises across their bodies and later received a first aid and health check at a hospital.
According to a report from the Phuket Mass Communication Organisation, police remain sceptical of the men’s claims. Further investigation will be conducted to identify their alleged attackers and determine the conflict between them.
In a separate incident in December, seven police officers in Bangkok mistakenly identified a Thai man as a drunk driver who ran a checkpoint. The officers brutally assaulted the man, who later came forward to seek justice. He insisted he was neither drunk nor evaded the checkpoint.
The real suspect, who was driving a car of the same make and colour, was eventually apprehended after the story went viral on Thai social media. The officers involved in the misidentification and assault are now expected to face legal charges.
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