Phuket drug crackdown apprehends 62

PHUKET: Phuket police officers apprehended 62 people on drug charges yesterday as part of an anti-drug sweep in Phuket Town and Rassada ordered by Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut.

In total,180 officers took part in the late afternoon maneuver, which involved searching two houses and administering urine tests at four checkpoints.

Five teenagers – two girls and three boys – aged between 16 and 17 years were apprehended smoking ya ice (crystal methamphetamine) at a house on Anuphas Phuketkarn Road in Phuket Town, where officers also found 30 pills of ya bah (methamphetamine).

Officers at checkpoints near Phuket Provincial Hospital, Sri Suthat Road, the Rassada Karn Keha Housing Estate intersection and Ruam Phun Phol Bridge administered drug tests to 702 people; 57 tested positive for drugs.

The sweep was carried out by officers drawn from the Phuket Territorial Defense Volunteers, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Phuket office, and plainclothes police from Phuket City Police Station.

Not all the suspects face arrest – those who have no previous record of drug use will be invited to join the the Mattrix Program, a voluntary drug treatment program, Governor Maitri said.

Those with previous drug offenses will be charged, he said.

— Kritsada Mueanhawong