Brit arrested on drug charges

KATHU: The government’s 90-day “war on drugs” that started last week has claimed its first foreign casualty in Phuket: a middle-aged British man was caught in possession of ya Ice (crystal methamphetamine) and other narcotics with intent to sell.

Kathu Police Superintendent Col Grissak Songmoonnark identified the suspect as UK national Peter Neville, aged 45.

Mr Neville was arrested at 2:45 am on Saturday after he was caught delivering 38.8 grams of ya Ice and 10.6 grams of cocaine to a Thai woman in a sting operation.

The sequence of events that led to Mr Neville’s arrest began at 8:10 pm Friday, when a combined Kathu and Tung Tong Police drug suppression unit raided a room on Soi Pailin, off Nanai Rd in Patong.

Acting on a tip-off from informants, they arrested six Thai people caught smoking ya Ice in the room. The group identified their supplier as a woman nicknamed “Saeng” and led police to her room in the Tulip Apartments, also on Nanai Rd.

In the room, police found 34-year-old Tanchanok “Saeng” Holm and 32-year-old Somjit Noophad, who was armed with a Thai-style shot gun pistol. They also found two 12-gauge shell casings.

Police recovered from the room, without incident, 6.06 grams of ya Ice, 3 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills, and drug paraphernalia.

After her arrest, Mrs Tanchanok identified her supplier as Mr Neville. She placed a call to him for more narcotics and police arrested Mr Neville when he came to deliver 38.8 grams of ya Ice and 10.6 grams of cocaine.

A subsequent search of Mr Neville’s home on Chao Fah East Rd in Chalong uncovered larger stashes of ya Ice (200 grams) and cocaine (50.89 gram), along with an undisclosed amount of hashish.

Mr Neville, now being held in a cell at Kathu Police Station, faces multiple charges of illegal possession of narcotics with intent to sell.

“Peter is not a big drug trafficker. The police will continue to investigate this network and make more arrests,” Col Grissak said.