Nine arrested in series of ya bah raids

PHUKET CITY: The sale of a single ya bah (methamphetamine) pill to an undercover policeman late Sunday night sparked a series of arrests that netted nine suspects and nearly 3,000 pills by dawn yesterday.

Muang District police announced at a press conference yesterday that Saroj Sopawaj, 25, was arrested in a sting on Soi Suthat 2 at 11 pm after allegedly selling one ya bah pill to a plain-clothed police officer.

Questioning Saroj led police to the Ket Ho branch of 7-Eleven, where they arrested Sanchai Kongsua, 24, who was allegedly carrying 20 ya bah pills.

At 1:20 am, officers went to an area behind the Prince of Songkla University (PSU) where they caught Krssana Ramwong, 20, Wissawa Seeyom, 22, and Sanpetch Pongsakul, 22, with a total of 50 ya bah pills, police said.

After questioning these suspects, police went on to arrest Ekkawit Sirinuntawith, 18, and his girlfriend Phakaporn O-mark, 21, at the 7-Eleven behind PSU at 3:30 am. The couple were allegedly carrying 110 pills of ya bah.

An hour later, police arrested Piyasak Boonma, 27, at the Muang District Office intersection, who allegedly had five ya bah pills.

During this arrest, police noticed a car parked nearby with a person inside. Suspicious, they searched the car, where they say they found 2,700 ya bah tablets. The car’s occupant, Pansak Silarat, 20, was arrested.

All of the suspects face charges of dealing illicit drugs and may face additional charges if their urine samples test positive for drugs.

Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit, who was at the press conference, said that drug use has emerged as a major social problem in Phuket, noting that more than 60% of those held in Phuket Provincial Prison were incarcerated on illegal drug charges.