Gambling still the No. 1 vice

PHUKET: Gambling remains Phuket’s favorite illegal pastime with 276 people being arrested in 82 raids between July 1 and July 25, according to the latest statistics released by police. Narcotics held the No. 2 spot with a total of 79 arrests for the period, of which 61 involved ya bah (methamphetamine). The statistics show that 781 tablets of the drug were seized in 48 raids during the period. The 1,818 pills seized last Friday were not included in the tally, as they fall outside the reported period. Two murders were reported in the period. Both were solved and two men were arrested. Other arrests included four for attempted murder, seven for assault, two for rape and 25 for prostitution. The number of illegal immigrants caught rose slightly to 285 compared with last month’s tally of 259.