Four arrested as police seize cocaine in Patong and Phuket airport
A joint operation in Phuket last night, February 17, led to the arrest of four foreign suspects and the seizure of more than 3.1 kilogrammes of cocaine, as police move to disrupt an alleged transnational drug network targeting tourists.
The operation was led by the Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) under Lieutenant General Achayon Kraithong, along with Phuket Provincial Police commander Major General Sinlert Sukhum and Narcotics Suppression Police Division 4 commander Major General Teera Thongrayap.
Investigators from NSB Division 4 said they received information that a group of foreign nationals was allegedly selling cocaine to tourists, particularly in entertainment venues and popular tourist areas in Phuket.
Officers gathered evidence, obtained a court-issued warrant and arrested a Nigerian suspect, which they said enabled investigators to expand the case to others linked to the network.
NSB officers joined Phuket Provincial Police, Tourist Police and Immigration Police to inspect an entertainment venue in the Bangla area of Patong, Kathu district, one of the province’s major tourist zones.
During the inspection, officers arrested two more suspects. Police said a Nigerian national was found with about one gramme of cocaine and was charged with unlawful possession of a Category 2 narcotic, while another foreign national was arrested for allegedly entering Thailand without permission.
Before the Patong inspection, NSB Division 4, working with the Customs Department and Phuket Provincial Police, intercepted a Brazilian man at Phuket International Airport with 3.1kg of cocaine hidden in his luggage, which police said was linked to the same network and intended for sale to tourists in Phuket.
Lieutenant General Achayon said the NSB would continue drug suppression operations in economic zones and major tourist areas, and had ordered investigators to widen the case to identify other suspects to dismantle the network.
The NSB also asked the public to report information about drugs or suspicious individuals via hotlines 1599 or 191, or to the nearest police station.
Similarly, back in December last year, Phuket administrative officers arrested a Thai man and a British national for cocaine possession during a sting operation in the Patong area. The Special Operations Unit of the Phuket Provincial Administrative Office launched the operation after receiving complaints about the sale of cocaine near Patong Beach.
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