Blazing bandit: Foreign thief tunnels into Phuket weed shop
A foreign man remains at large after drilling through the wall of a cannabis store in Phuket to steal products worth 30,000 baht and 2,000 baht in cash on Saturday, March 22.
The owner of the cannabis store, Saen Sook Smoke Weed, 24 year old Kwan, filed a theft complaint with officers at Patong Police Station on Saturday afternoon, March 22, after discovering the damage to her store and the theft via CCTV footage.
Kwan reported that 150 grammes of dried cannabis, valued at over 30,000 baht, 2,000 baht in cash, and a speaker were stolen.
Security cameras captured the thief, reported to be a foreign national, breaking into the shop at around 3am that day. He wore a balaclava to conceal his identity but occasionally pulled it up halfway, giving the police a potential clue to his identity.
The foreign thief reportedly drilled and smashed a wall at the back of the store to create a hole to enter the shop. He used cloths to cover most of the security cameras inside the store, resulting in limited footage of the theft. The owner shared the footage with the police but did not make it public.
As of now, the foreign suspect remains at large, and police are conducting further investigations to establish his identity.
In October last year, several cannabis stores in Phuket fell victim to foreign thieves, collectively losing products worth at least 100,000 baht to two foreign nationals. Despite their identities being clearly visible on CCTV footage, the police provided no updates on the case.
One shop owner, frustrated by the lack of progress in the investigation, took matters into his own hands and tracked down the foreign thieves himself.
He followed them to their accommodation and, in a fit of anger, attacked the two men before calling the police to make the arrest.
The shop owner admitted that his actions were wrong and violated the law, but he felt compelled to act due to the police’s apparent neglect of the case despite having clear evidence.
In another theft case involving foreign suspects, the Thai owner of a handcrafted home goods store on Koh Pha Ngan in Surat Thani province caught two German men stealing products worth 1,200 baht.
Security cameras inside the store clearly recorded them committing the crime twice on the same day.
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