High stakes on the high life: Phuket drug busts soar
Cheap pills, posh powder and tourist temptation fuel island's narcotics surge
Phuket’s seedy underbelly is under fresh scrutiny after a sharp spike in drug crimes this year, with police battling everything from cut-price meth to cocaine-fuelled parties in tourist hotspots.
Government officials revealed the island paradise is facing a rising tide of narcotics offences, with 1,899 drug cases logged between October 2024 and May 2025, a jump of over 10% on the same period last year.
The latest crackdown was top of the agenda at the seventh Phuket Provincial Narcotics Control Centre meeting, held at Provincial Hall on Sunday, June 22. Senior officials from law enforcement and health departments gathered to assess the island’s growing drug problem.
Chairing the session was Chief Administrative Officer Akkrawat Sirithanthanakorn, who joined forces with reps from the Narcotics Control Board Region 8, Phuket Public Health Office, and other agencies to plot a coordinated response.
Mueang Phuket district was named the island’s worst-hit area, racking up 917 cases, nearly half the island’s total. Thalang followed with 672, and Kathu logged 310, Phuket News reported.
An assessment using the NISPA system painted a grim picture: 20 villages in Mueang were labelled red zones, indicating both high levels of drug use and active dealing. Thalang had five such hotspots, while Kathu escaped the red-zone label but still reported users in six villages.
Officials warned that drug prices rise in tourist-heavy areas, with access often determined by who you know.
“The relationship between users and dealers often influences the final price,” said one official.
Methamphetamine pills, also known as Yaba, remain the island’s top drug, prized for being cheap and easy to source. More affluent users are opting for crystal meth (ya ice) and cocaine, the latter especially popular among tourists and foreign residents. Heroin, while less common, still circulates within niche user groups.
Although May saw a slight dip in cases (down 14% from April), the overall trajectory remains worryingly steep.
With the International Day Against Drug Abuse falling on June 26, officials are planning community outreach and awareness activities in a bid to stem the tide.
The Provincial Narcotics Control Board stressed that the fight against drugs must involve not just raids and arrests, but also treatment, prevention and active participation from local communities.
Phuket may be a haven for holidaymakers but for government officials are now racing to stop it becoming a paradise lost to narcotics.
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