Condo drug party ends in arrests for 2 Thais and Russian in Phuket
Small drug haul leads police to classify trio as users, not dealers
Police arrested two Thai men and one Russian national for holding a drug party at a condominium in Phuket.
Officers from Wichit Police Station raided a condominium near a popular shopping mall in the Wichit sub-district of Phuket on Wednesday, July 9, apprehending the three suspects. They were identified as 23 year old Thai man Sirawit, 23 year old Thai man Thanakrit, and 20 year old Russian man Dmitrii.
During the search of the condominium unit, officers seized a variety of illicit substances, including 0.7 grammes of ketamine, one ecstasy tablet marked with “PRADA Halland G/6”, and 0.07 grammes of powdered ecstasy.
All three suspects tested positive for drugs. Given the small quantities found, police concluded they were drug users rather than dealers. The suspects face the following charges:
- Section 145 of the Narcotics Control Act: Producing, importing, exporting, distributing, or possessing Category 1 narcotics. Penalty: up to 15 years’ imprisonment and a fine of 200,000 to 1.5 million baht.
- Section 146 of the Narcotics Control Act: Producing, importing, exporting, distributing, or possessing Category 2 narcotics. Penalty: up to 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to 1 million baht.
- Section 162 of the Narcotics Control Act: Using Category 1 and 2 narcotics. Penalty: up to one year in prison, a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both.
This arrest follows a similar raid in Pattaya two weeks earlier, where a Taiwanese man and a Thai party entertainer were arrested for drug use in a condominium.
The Pattaya incident escalated after the Taiwanese suspect went on a violent rampage, captured on video, walking along the corridor with a baseball bat and striking neighbours’ doors, causing fear among other residents.
Police confiscated 6.56 grammes of crystal methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, eight mobile phones, two 9mm bullets, nine baseball bats, two steel tactical batons, and two stun guns from the room.
In a related case, a German man was arrested in Pattaya in June during a sting operation. He was identified as a major local drug dealer and was found in possession of over 427 grammes of cocaine intended for distribution.
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