Police arrest 13 in kratom bus-delivery bust

PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Police arrested 13 suspects as they picked up packages containing 41 kilograms of kratom from a bus company office on Tuesday morning.

Officers waited at the office of Srisuchart Transport (1989) Co Ltd on bypass road after receiving a tip-off from one of their sources that packages of kratom would be transported from Bangkok on one of the company’s buses.

“When the bus arrived at 9am, we saw a group of people come to pick up the packages,” said Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Pinit Sirichai. “When we asked to inspect the packages, we found that they were full of kratom.”

The group confessed that they had ordered the kratom through Facebook from a dealer in Bangkok.

“They told us that kratom is regularly sent through different bus companies,” Col Pinit said. “We will inform Bangkok officials so that we can broaden the reach of the case.”

All were 13 suspects were charged with possession of a Category 5 drug and taken to the Phuket City Police station for processing.

On Monday, Phuket Marine police seized a 5-kilogram package of kratom leaves at the Phuket Town Post Office (story here).

— Kritsada Mueanghawong